Drake University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS) held a Nursing Pinning Ceremony on August 7, 2026, in which 20 students received pins symbolizing the completion of their one-year program.
“Nursing school is so much more than skills, medications, or which leg goes first when a patient uses crutches,” graduate Gabby Schnathorst said in an address. “It is about showing up for people during some of the hardest, scariest, and most meaningful moments of their lives. It is about listening, advocating, and showing up even when it’s hard.”
Pinning ceremonies represent a nurse’s entry into the profession. The tradition began in the twelfth century, when knights who cared for the sick would wear a Maltese cross insignia. Centuries later, in the 1860s, Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in honor of her life-saving medical care during the Crimean War.
Nightingale and other nursing educators began presenting badges to their most skilled graduates. Today, it is a tradition for nursing schools across the world. Unlike graduation, which celebrates academic achievement, the pinning ceremony marks something more personal: The moment a nurse steps fully into their calling to serve, to comfort, and to lead.
Another difference from a traditional graduation: Each student walked across the stage with a loved one or a mentor. That special guest bestowed the pin onto the graduating nurse.
As the graduates crossed the stage to receive their pins, their next steps were announced to the group. At the time of the ceremony, eighteen out of the twenty graduates in the cohort had already secured positions in the Des Moines metro as well as in other states such as Minnesota, Idaho, and Missouri. They plan to pursue careers in a variety of specialties; including neurology, trauma, medical surgery, inpatient rehabilitation, critical/intensive care, pediatrics, labor and delivery, neonatal ICU, emergency care, cardiology, and psychiatrics.
To mark their official entry into the nursing profession, the group recited the Nursing Pledge, led by their classmate AJ Jurgens.
As the second cohort of the ABSN program, the Class of 2026 has continued to build on the strong foundation laid by its first cohort, who received their pins just a year earlier. Dr. Amanda McGraw announced a new award established in honor of one “impressive” student who was part of the inaugural ABSN class: Fatima Hoy, ABSN ‘25.
“This award is in your namesake because it is meant for somebody that knows life isn’t always perfect and easy, and that there are obstacles in life that we have to overcome,” McGraw said as Hoy took the stage. “But the most important part of that which you have demonstrated to all of us, is that you can emerge a stronger, more empathetic person who is committed to showing up with support, love, and kindness.”
Hoy presented her named award to its first recipient, Genesis Hernandez-Cruz, ABSN ’26.
“[Genesis] worked really hard to overcome obstacles in her nursing journey and in life,” McGraw said, “but never let it dull her sparkle.”
To conclude the ceremony and send the graduates off into their nursing careers, Program Director Dr. Katie Scott offered a message of gratitude for the cohort and for the friends, family members, and loved ones who supported them along the way.
“Congratulations, Class of 2026,” Scott said. “Go take care of the world.”