BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — They may have a couple of years to go but several California State University Bakersfield nursing students have already started planning for 2025 and are saving up for their Pinning Ceremony one fundraiser at a time.
“A rite of passage.” That is how CSUB nursing students describe their end-of-the-program celebration. Students say that the funds from the university are limited, so the class of 2025 has started its Pinning Ceremony fundraisers.
“All of our donations and money fundraisers that we're doing goes towards our Pinning Ceremony that we will have in 2025 at the end of our nursing school,” said Luz Mendoza, President of the CSUB Nursing Class of 2025.
Mendoza is already making sure that she and her fellow students are hitting the ground running and raising funds for their Pinning Ceremony, as it has to come out of their pockets. The celebration is comparable to the importance of graduation.
“A pinning ceremony is a rite of passage for nurses who are about to graduate from the program or they already have graduated," said Carl Allen, a nursing student at CSUB. "It just symbolizes that we are ready to go into the field.”
For many of the students, the ceremony will be extra sentimental after online school during the pandemic prevented them from having traditional high school graduations.
“I think after COVID, a lot of us, at least for me, haven't gotten a proper high school graduation," explained Mindy Lee, another nursing student. "It means extra because it's more of like a celebration and we get to celebrate going from students to nurses to out in the field. I think everyone will get to have closure in that kind of moment.”
The CSUB Nursing Class of 2025 has already started collecting funding by hosting a yard sale, holding the Eureka Fundraiser, and creating its own merchandise that the community could buy. The students are currently in their second semester, training with medical dummies and working with real patients. They want to remind the community that one day, those real patients could be you.
“We are the future of the Kern County nursing community," said nursing student Jillian Pietre. "We are going to be taking care of you guys and your loved ones and we just really want your support to make this the best year possible. Especially after COVID, support your nurses. Support your healthcare professionals and we'll be there for you.”
To support the nursing students through their fundraising journey, visit the program's Instagram page.
