Laila Hughes Pinned by the Associate Degree Nursing Program at the University of Charleston

2012 May 11

The Associate Degree Nursing program at the University of Charleston pinned 19 students on May 5, 2012, including Laila Hughes of South Charleston.

Pinning is an honored tradition within nursing, symbolizing the completion of a nurse's education. The ceremony also included "passing the Light" of nursing tradition, symbolized by the Florence Nightingale Pledge. Because Florence Nightingale, the founder of nursing, is often pictured carrying a lamp, nurses use a reproduction of that lamp to light and say the pledge. The pledge honors the profession and its patients.

The University of Charleston is a private, co-educational, residential college located in the heart of West Virginia, with approximately 1,400 students from 30 countries and 34 states. It ranks among the First Tier Regional Colleges in the South according to U.S. News & World Report, and offers 22 undergraduate majors, three master's degrees, and a doctorate in pharmacy. The mission of the University of Charleston is to educate each student for a life of productive work, enlightened living and community involvement.