Isaiah Gordon, of Camden, delivered the greetings from the Class of 2025 and was recognized with the Professional Development Award from Lander’s School of Nursing. Photo by Karen Petit.
Lander University honored 52 new nurses during its Nursing Recognition Ceremony, celebrating graduates who are stepping into careers defined by compassion, skill and a commitment to caring for others.
The William Preston Turner School of Nursing’s 56th baccalaureate program, one of a series of commencement-related ceremonies held at the end of each semester, brought family members, friends and faculty together to recognize the achievements of students who have completed one of the University’s most rigorous academic programs, and who are preparing to enter the health care workforce.
Dr. Holisa Wharton, dean of the College of Nursing, Human Performance and Health Sciences, congratulated the nurses for their work in the classroom and beyond. “Your hard work, dedication and perseverance have brought you to this moment, and we are incredibly proud of you.”
For Isaiah Gordon, of Camden, chosen by his peers to give greetings from the Class of 2025, the ceremony represented both an academic milestone and the beginning of a professional calling.
“When we look back to when we first started this journey, I don’t think any of us imagined nursing school would be easy, but it was impossible to be prepared for what the next two years would hold,” said Gordon. “We learned very quickly that real nursing school involves lectures, each with their own assigned 50-pound encyclopedia, clinicals that start before the sun even thinks about rising, and exams where every answer is technically correct, but one answer is always ‘more correct.’”
In a presentation that brought laughs and tears at times, Gordon reflected on the challenges nursing students faced throughout their education, including moments of doubt that tested their resolve. He noted that the journey demanded perseverance, teamwork and sacrifice, often pushing them beyond what they thought they were capable of achieving.
“Yet despite all of these obstacles, or maybe because of them, something incredible happened along the way,” he said. “We didn’t just learn how to take vitals, start IVs, hang fluids, pass medications and chart like our life depends on it; we learned how to think critically, how to advocate for patients, and most importantly, how to care for our patients.”
Gordon, who will begin a nurse residency program with Prisma Health, was honored with the Professional Development Award, given to a student who has achieved such substantial professional growth and development that the accomplishments merit special honor.
He congratulated his peers, saying, “Let us move forward with confidence, humility and the determination that brought us through nursing school. May we be the nurses who always remain truthful, care deeply and never forget why we chose this path in the first place.”
From the Start, Lander Felt Like Home
Syndey Dawson, of Abbeville, had planned to tour multiple colleges as a high school student. But the moment she visited Lander, the first stop on her college tour list, she knew “this is where I was meant to be.”
She became involved in numerous campus activities, including Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, the Lander University Student Nurses Association and National Student Nurses Association. Dawson, who was named the Panhellenic president of Lander’s sororities, also earned Dean’s List honors. Through her academic achievement, she graduated a semester early from Lander.
Each of her experiences helped Dawson “to adapt to many challenges and changes that I have faced during my time at Lander,” she said. “I am proud of the person I have become. I feel more confident in myself and my abilities.”
Dawson was recognized with honors at the ceremony, including the Nursing Leadership Award, presented by Self Regional Healthcare. She was also recognized by Self Regional for her participation in the Clinical Accelerated Readiness Experience (CARE) Program.
Dawson will be a medical-surgical nurse at Self Regional, which she calls her “dream job.”
“I will cherish the memories of my ‘aha’ moments from classes and clinicals and the words of wisdom that I gained from my various nursing professors, as well as leadership class professors,” she said.
Forever a Bearcat
Shae Baldwin, of Mount Pleasant, came to Lander to be a member of the women’s soccer team and pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing and minor in business. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Baldwin became immersed in the University’s numerous organizations. A Presidential Ambassador and an Honors College student, Baldwin joined the Student Nurses Association, Baptist Collegiate Ministry, Student Alumni Association, Student Athletic Advisory Committee and the Dean’s Advisory Committee for nursing. “All of these things have helped me become successful academically and personally; furthermore, I found my best friends by being involved in many organizations,” she said.
She has accepted a job at MUSC’s Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in Charleston, where she will work in the pediatric heart center. “I am excited to work with these children and their families,” she said.
Baldwin is planning to further her education by pursuing a master’s degree in clinical nurse leadership and wants to become a nurse practitioner. “I have already started my graduate school application for Lander,” she said. “I will forever be a Bearcat.”
Nursing Achievement Recognized
The School of Nursing presented recognized graduates with special honors, including, Michael Burrage, of Georgetown, Clinical Excellence Award; William McMickens, of Lexington, Neumann Award; Kyra Osten, of Spartanburg, Professional Nursing Award; and Makenley Rorick, of Elberton, Georgia, Mickey-McDowell Nursing Award.
Sigma Theta Tau inductees included Shae Baldwin, Bett Brumley, Miranda Carman, Ivy Codington, Sydney Dawson, Lonniesha Grant-Guyton, LizziAnna Price Griffin, Olivia Lauren Herring, Sharina Sims, Helen Martinez, Amber Metts, Sheena Moore, Olivia Price, Makenley Rorick and Abigail Sims.
Self Regional Healthcare recognized graduates who participated in CARE Program, including Ashleigh Charpentier, Sydney Dawson, Jemiah Gregory, Emily Maness and LizziAnna Grifiin.
CARE Program participants from Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System were Sheena Moore and Abigail Wilson.