Last week, Southwestern Michigan College April honored 21 new nurses who graduated from the school’s associate nursing program.
Local graduates include Molly Danelski of Niles, Katherine Devries of Stevensville, Randall Draper of Niles, Kari Field of Decatur, JoDee Lambert of Edwardsburg, Craig Mothorpe of Vandalia, Mackenzie Norris of Galien, Amber Oleskiewicz of Constantine, Vilimuli Paea of Berrien Springs, Stephanie Palmisano of Niles, Sydney Prillwitz of Dowagiac, Erin Rochefort of Bridgman, Beatriz Rosales of Dowagiac, Carter Strebeck of St. Joseph and Samantha Woolverton of Niles.
Paea was presented a Lamp of Knowledge by Dr. Kennedy in recognition of the peer-selected Florence Nightingale Award embodying selflessness, compassion, thoughtfulness, team play, dependability, generosity and humility.
“God bless my upbringing, standing on the shoulders of giants. My giants were my parents,” Paea said. “Quiet and humble, they stood behind my every decision. My dad builds homes and told me the pen is lighter than the hammer. Dad, lifting a person is much heavier than lifting a hammer. I will still have bad knees and a bad back, like you. Thank you for giving me the work ethic. We made it! You now have a $10 allowance for the casino every week.
“Mom, you know I always wanted to be like Dad, but the older I get, I can only dream of being like you. You are as caring as you are determined, with a heart of gold. Thank you for giving me a kind heart like yours. Lastly, I thank my classmates. I didn’t start with you guys, and only half of you know my name, but because of you all, especially a few of you, my parents get to see me walk across this stage today.”
