Concord University holds first White Coat Ceremony for nursing students

ATHENS, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Concord University’s first-ever White Coat Ceremony was held on May 2 for the nursing students of the class of 2025.

The ceremony was held in the Wilkes Family Chapel at University Point on the Concord campus.

Opening remarks were delivered by Amanda Nichols, Assistant Professor of Nursing, followed by a welcome given by President Kendra Boggess.

Danita Farley, Clinical Education Coordinator and Assistant Professor Nursing presented a history of the White Coat Ceremony. The Guest Speaker
of the evening was Vicki Williams, Registered Nurse, who recently celebrated her 50th year of being a nurse.

She graduated from Bluefield State University in 1974 with an Associate Degree in Nursing, and from Bluefield College in 1994 with a Bachelors in Organizational Management and
Development.

Dr. Michele Holt, Department Chair and Director of Nursing, says of the accomplishment, “This is a very special day for Concord University. The White Coat ceremony is one of many traditions we plan to establish here in the nursing program for our students, faculty, and the community as a whole.

We want to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and commitment it took for these nursing students to get to this point. We are all very proud of our nursing students.”

The Concord nursing faculty presented five students of the Class of 2025 with their white coats, followed by the reciting of the Florence Nightingale Pledge.

Students in the nursing Class of 2025
include Rachel Clay, Haley Lawrence, Jenn-Kay Nash, Santana Strickland, and CaSara Vanover.