Genesee Community College Nursing Student Earns Diploma, Gains Fiancé at Graduation Ceremony

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A photograph of John Wassink on one knee proposing to girlfriend Amy Heinrichs at the December GCC Nursing graduation ceremony on Dec. 17

BATAVIA, NY (12/28/2010)(readMedia)-- When Genesee Community College Nursing graduate John Wassink accepted an award at the December 17 graduation ceremony, he had an important question for his girlfriend in the audience. John had the perfect timing to ask his girlfriend, Amy Heinrichs, to spend the rest of her life with him. After accepting the award for Clinical Proficiency, John walked down from the stage, and asked Amy to be his wife.

John, 24, with the help of instructor and director of Nursing, Kathy Palumbo, planned the proposal after his award acceptance speech. He thanked Amy for being his 'fourth semester distraction' from his nursing studies.

"Everyone knew I did really well the first, second and third semesters, John commented. "But I had a little bit of a distraction my fourth semester, because that's when I was dating Amy."

John noted that his relationship with Amy meant more to him than any diploma or job offer and he proceeded down the stage steps, across the audience and got down on one knee in front of Amy and her asked her to marry him. Through the entire graduation ceremony, John kept the ring in his white scrubs' pocket and waited for the right time to reveal it.

"The rest of my nursing classmates knew I was going to ask Amy to marry me," John said. "So when I walked across the audience to meet Amy, the whole place went crazy!"

Amy, 20, knew that John wanted to propose but had no idea when or where he would propose. "She was really surprised," John reflected.

The entire proposal may not have gone so smoothly without the help of Kathy Palumbo, who moved John's award to the end of the ceremony in order for him to make his marriage proposal. She was happy to make the change for her remarkable student.

"He is an excellent student and a responsible, moral young man. He was very active in tutoring his fellow students to help them pass their exams," Kathy Palumbo noted.

John lives in Attica and currently works for the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Buffalo as a Graduate Floor Nurse. He hopes to soon land a permanent nursing job and move to the Clarence area where he can be closer to his work and his church. John is a 2004 graduate of Attica High School and is the son of Tim and Paula Wassink of Attica. Amy Heinrichs is from Ontario, Canada and is a graduate of the Office Administration program at Niagara College in Ontario, Canada.

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