NEWARK, Ohio, Dec. 20, 2018 — Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) held pinning ceremonies on Dec. 9 at the Coshocton campus and Dec. 13 at the Newark campus to honor the following 2018 autumn semester graduates of its nursing technology programs.*
The Elizabeth Barnhart Award for Nursing Excellence was presented to Shelley Love of Nashport. The Barnhart Award honors a graduating student who exemplifies the highest ideals of the nursing profession: intelligence, commitment, sacrifice, integrity and a compassionate connection to others. Recipients will receive a certificate and a $300 cash stipend to help defray the cost of equipment and career-related fees, including testing and licensure. The inaugural award was presented in May 2018.
Barnhart, a young registered nurse who loved her profession and was passionate about helping others, was only just beginning a promising career as an emergency room nurse at Newark's Licking Memorial Hospital when she was killed on Feb. 2, 2017. A 2015 COTC graduate, Barnhart was an outstanding student and well-known to use the phrase "nurse so hard," which she used to describe the deep level of compassion and commitment needed by nurses to provide exceptional patient care.
Associate of Applied Science in Nursing Technology
Madihah Abdul Rauf
Sonia Ansong
Giana Atkinson
Lydia Blount
Jobina Brooks
Janie Caldwell
Shelby Campbell
Anne Carrick
Corey Christmas
Kelany Courtright
Kyle Danner
Olivia Downs
Lindsey Dudgeon
Shannon Duncan
Regina Fosu
Carol Green
Ashley Gutridge
Paula Halstead
Tiffany Hanna
Stephanie Hinch
Joshua Homan
Jennifer Huffman
Ervin Hughes IV
Taylor Jeter
Mathew Jones-Dyer
Courtney Kaiser
Megan Karnes
Sarah Kelly
Tatiana Kocevski
Margaret LaBraney
Alexandria Lankford
Toshia Leonard
David Lille
Alexa Logan
Jimmy Love Jr.
Shelley Love
Ashley Marshall
Tierney McCann
Shannan McElwee
Taylor McKnight
Rachel Mertz
Abigail Opoku
Anthony Penrose
Niya Randall
April Reardon
Roberta Reedy
Michelle Ritchie
Sierra Sanders
Megan Seiffert
Jeffrey Shaffer
Katlyn Shipley
Courtney Slussar
Kimberly Stevens
Sherri Vanmeter
Lindsay West
Preston Wright
Kristen Wyrick
Brandi Young
Practical Nursing One-Year Certificate
Tania Bagent
Mahwa Bangoura
Miranda Bates
Misti Bonacci
MacKenzie Carsey
Breanna Church
Ramatoulaye Dia
Dominique Gates
Mariah Grooms
Cory Hastings
Lyndsie Helsel
Jontania Jones
Annie Knotts
Erika Larocca
Meagan Laughlin
Harmony Litwin
Jaden McElfresh
Valerie McLaughlin
Cara Miller
Chido Ngoni
Madison Papp
Jenna Pauley
Nicole Rager
Raquel Reynoso
Abie Rosado
Stephanie Strickland
Montiana Wilson
*Only graduates who have granted COTC permission to release their names to the public are listed.
The pinning ceremony is a long-held tradition marking the passage of student to the ranks of professional nursing. The ceremony originated in the 1860s at London's Nightingale School of Nursing. Florence Nightingale, who had recently been awarded the Red Cross of St. George for her selfless service to the injured and dying in the Crimean War, chose to extend this honor to outstanding nursing graduates by presenting each of them with a medal for excellence.
COTC is a fully accredited, public college dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible programs of technical education in response to current and emerging employment needs. COTC is the only technical college in Ohio operating four full-service campus locations: Newark, Coshocton, Knox and Pataskala.
