The Nursing Program at Gateway Community College (GCC) held the Class of 2015 Pinning Ceremony at 5:00 p.m . on Friday, May 15 at the newly opened College Street Music Hall (formerly The Palace Theater) in downtown New Haven. The ceremony marks t he transition from student to professional for 89 nursing degree graduates.

A time-honored tradition, pinning ceremonies trace their origins to nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, who received the Cross of St. George from Britain’s Queen Victoria in 1855 for her service in caring for injured British soldiers. When special nursing schools were later founded using Nightingale’s principles and practices, the awarding of pins and medals to outstanding graduates became increasingly common until it was eventually established as a rite of passage from student to practitioner. 



Since its inception in 2002, Gateway Community College’s nursing program has quadrupled in size, producing more than 640 graduates over the past 13 years. The program features award-winning faculty and has been accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, an organization nationally recognized as a specialized accrediting agency for both post-secondary and higher degree programs in nursing education. It also is the first program of its kind in the state community college system to offer courses and clinical rotations in the evening, making nursing a career option for working students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to pursue a nursing degree.

The following students were in the Nursing Class of 2015:

Ansonia resident Deborah Fiddler;
Berlin resident Hana Alami;
Bethany residents Jessica Kehlenbach and Ginger Watterworth;
Branford residents Renee Macari, Ciro Martone, Stephanie Meffert and Amanda Ruotolo;
Cheshire residents Kelly Allen and Cecilia Collins;
Clinton resident Ryan Vedrani;
Cromwell resident Raymond Acosta;
East Haven residents James Barone, Leah Doll and Danielle Oswin;
Ellington resident Rachel Virkler;
Fairfield resident Jun Yang;
Guilford residents Mary Clancy, Darcy Dugas and Pamela Trunik;
Haddam resident Jennifer Barton;
Hamden residents Samantha Castellon, Debora Cianflone, Brittany Garon, Antonio Gonzalez- Degollado, Kristin Hamilton, So Kim, B.J. Pino and Jennifer Walker;
Meridan resident Valerie Wieliesz;
Middlefield residents Gina Libassi;
Middletown residents Lasharon Hernand and Nahreen Moradkh;
Milford residents Kenneth Giorgi, Keith Russell, Jr. and Meghan Yeager;
Mount Carmel resident Desiree Thompso;
Naugatuck residents Dorothy Conway and Daedly Pierre;
New Haven residents Zubaida Dabre, Aleah Evenstad, Ariel Ferro, Abmaridel Montosa, Melissa Montosa, LaCoya Nichols, Sahony Ramirez-Feliz, Nicole Samela, Nancyene Saysiri and Christina Tommessilli;
North Branford residents Christin Baldwin, Robyn Stringer, and Ashley Wilks;
North Haven residents Ian Sancho and Stephanie Zavorskas;
Orange resident Wen Lou;
Oxford residents Worth Bagley and Nicki Searfass;
Seymour residents Megan Christopher and Joan Vega;
Shelton residents Danielle Puccilli and Damon Workiewicz;
Southington resident Marissa LaPorta;
Stratford residents Yolma Mugartegui and Mariluz Ramirez;
Trumbull resident Jang Choi;
Wallingford residents Melanie Canas, Rebekah DelVecchio, Christopher Esposito, Andrea Fairchild, Jenna Kostka, Souad Lahnin, Rachael Monikowski, Linda Remillard, Amy Ruimerman and Erin Spader;
Waterbury resident Louise Delgado, Mayra Estevez and Lucinda Lamas;
West Haven residents Derek Annan, Deborah Barletta, Jaclyn Godfrey, Carly Horobin, Khalid Lamtaai, Fonique Lazarre, Tara Mauricio, Erika Mercado, Violene Osirus and Justine Stewart;
Woodbridge resident Beth Siwicki.