Congratulations, all of you! Immokalee center graduates its first class of nursing students » Naples Daily News

Some are the first member of their family to pursue higher education, but on Saturday, they all became firsts.

The first class of licensed practical nurses graduated from the recently opened Immokalee Technical Center (iTECH).

“This is extremely special to me because you are the first class of nurses to graduate from this new facility,” said Dorin Oxender, principal of iTECH.

“I was moved to tears. It is a dream come true for the Immokalee community to get a center like this, and to actually see the first practical nursing class walk across the stage and get pinned was a moving experience for me.”

Saturday’s graduating class of 15 started the program by taking classes at the Bethune Education Center in Immokalee, and moved to the new iTECH Center, at 508 North 9th St., when it opened in January. The center offers career and technical education for adults and high school students.

“Fifteen months ago when we registered in the iTECH nursing program, we expected to be provided with the knowledge and skills we would need to be successful LPNs,” said Jami Martinez, one of the graduating students.

“But what I personally did not foresee was how the program would help me grow as a person.”

The practical nursing students, whose ages ranged from 19 to more than 50 years old, went through a 15-month, 1,350-hour program with a summer break. Many are mothers and one, the only man in the class, Herve David, is a father.

“The truth is that it has been a long and difficult 15 months,” Martinez said. “We have all had our struggles and have all made our sacrifices, but if you ask me, it was all worth it and I would do it all again.”

One of the students, Aurelia Sainz, gave birth to her now 13-month-old son, Jacob, during the first few months of the program. Sainz said one of her biggest challenges during the program was “trying to manage everything and juggle everything and the sacrifices.”

Before the ceremony began, a projector flashed pictures of the soon-to-be nursing school graduates on a screen behind the stage.

Linda Gipson, vice president and chief nursing officer for the NCH Healthcare System, gave the keynote speech.

“Nursing will open many doors for you,” said Gipson, who is also on the board of directors for Avow Hospice in Naples. “Your work will have meaning because you will touch people’s lives, and you will make a difference in those lives.”

Gipson focused on the importance of the nursing profession, provided encouraging advice and anecdotes from her years of experience as a nurse, and pointed out the increasing demand for nurses across the U.S.

“Currently there are 3,000 LPN vacancies in Florida, and according to the Center for Nursing, we (will) have about 18,000 vacant LPN positions within the next 10 years,” as the Baby Boomer generation begins to retire.

Although some of the new graduates already have accepted jobs at various health-care facilities, they must pass a National Council of State Boards of Nursing exam to receive their license to practice.

All states and the District of Columbia require LPNs to pass the licensing examination after completing a state-approved practical nursing program, like the one at iTECH.

Many of the nursing students’ family members and friends cheered when their loved one walked up on the stage to be pinned.

The graduating students wore traditional white nurse uniforms and held a candle in their hands as they walked down the center aisle to their seats in front of the stage. All 15 graduates were called up on the stage to receive their traditional nurse pin.

“One of the measurements we often use as an instructor for determining a good nursing student is how would I feel as a patient looking up at this nurse, who is in charge of my care ... ,” said Paulette Ramsey, a practical nursing instructor. “I can unequivocally say, you can give me any of these nurses any day.”

As they were being pinned, Ramsey shared superlatives that fellow classmates assigned to each student.

“The students said she was born to be a nurse,” Ramsey said of Diane Devonshire, a member of the graduating class who won the academic award as the best all-around student. “She’s a determined leader and most likely to be our boss was one of the things they said.”

Devonshire worked as a certified nursing assistant for several years, and although she had a strong desire to become an LPN, the mother of three said she could never find the time to go back to school until last year.

“It’s been a long hard road, and I’m just very, very proud of everyone in my class,” said Devonshire, who was relieved to be done with the program. “I’m very proud of my family for making all those sacrifices for me.”