With family, friends and faculty in attendance, 22 nursing students were recognized May 14 at Blackhawk Technical College for successfully completing their two-year Nursing degree at a celebratory pinning ceremony.
“I give so much credit to every person sitting here today, because none of this was easy,” said Megan Coakley, Nursing graduate and student speaker. “And now we’re stepping into something bigger. Something that carries responsibility, trust, and a level of impact that we’re only just beginning to understand. Because being a nurse isn’t just about what we know. It’s about what we’ve learned along the way and how we choose to show up.”
Kobe Thomas and Hailey Beeman were honored with the Student Choice Award, sponsored by the Nursing faculty. This award, determined by peer votes, is awarded to the graduates deemed most trustworthy to care for a loved one.
“If you ask any nurse what the toughest achievement they ever accomplished was, they all will answer the same,” Nursing Instructor Jim Kobs, the faculty speaker, said. “I graduated from nursing school.”
The event, held in the Conference Center at the Beloit-Janesville Campus, included the traditional pinning ceremony—a rite of passage with roots tracing back to Florence Nightingale in the 1860s. Inspired by the Red Cross of St. George medal she received from Queen Victoria, Nightingale began presenting medals to her students, a practice that evolved into the pinning ceremonies held at nursing programs around the world today.
At Blackhawk, graduates select a loved one to present their pin. Students also recited the Nightingale Pledge, a commitment to uphold their profession with care and dedication, similar to the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians.
Many of these new nurses have already secured positions serving patients in a wide range of healthcare settings, including labor and delivery, emergency departments, hospice care, geriatric psychiatry, intensive care units, cardiovascular care and acute care facilities.
Congratulations to the May 2026 Nursing graduates:
- Hailey Beeman, Beloit
- Makayla Bergersen, Williams Bay
- Megan Coakley, Whitewater
- Tera Coffey, Edgerton
- Stephanie Cuevas, Whitewater
- Tayla Hernandez-Velazquez, Janesville
- Leighanne Humphreys, Beloit
- Sarah Knowles, Boscobel
- Dawson Lenz, Delavan
- Samantha Leppert, Jefferson
- Brittney Lewis, Milton
- Krysa McCain, Evansville
- Legacy Meyer, Janesville
- Alyssa Monk, Janesville
- Marie Pipowski, Janesville
- Jocelinn Portillo, Beloit
- Jamie Rudolph, Beloit
- Rose Rutta, Johnson Creek
- Amanda Stone
- Kobe Thomas, Cuba City
- Bret Toftness, Sun Prairie
- Madi Welte, Edgerton
Learn more about the Nursing program at blackhawk.edu/Programs-Courses/Nursing.