Goodwin College Pins Paige Dederer as Nurse

EAST HARTFORD, CT (08/28/2012)(readMedia)-- Tolland resident Paige Dederer has completed the Goodwin College Nursing Program and has been pinned into the profession.

On Thursday, August 16, Dederer was one of about 50 students to receive a Goodwin Nursing Degree.

As an audience of family members and friends cheered, Dederer lit a candle and recited an oath in the tradition of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale. Each student also traded their student nursing badge for an official pin, recognizing them as graduates of the Goodwin program and setting them on their professional courses.

Jan Costello, Chair of the Goodwin Nursing Department, pinned each graduate one by one. She told Dederer and the rest of the classmates to always be caring and compassionate with patients.

"Just because you leave doesn't mean we forget you," Costello said.

The College has one of the largest nursing programs in the state. Most Goodwin Nursing grads find jobs in their profession or seek higher degrees in nursing within six months of completing the program.