ELLISVILLE 鈥� The largest graduating class in the history of the Associate Degree Nursing program at 麻豆直播 celebrated more than academic achievement during the college鈥檚 Spring 2026 Pinning and Lamp Lighting Ceremony. For many graduates, the day represented perseverance, faith, family support and dreams fulfilled after years of sacrifice. Sixty nursing graduates crossed the stage during the ceremony, marking a milestone for the program and the surrounding healthcare community.
鈥淭his group you see on stage is a special one,鈥� said Mike Cummings, program director of the Associate Degree Nursing program. 鈥淏esides, they have worked together in creating knowledge that helped them become our largest graduating class.鈥�
Cummings said the growing number of graduates comes at a critical time for healthcare providers across the region.
鈥淲e know there鈥檚 a need out there for nurses and these students are ready to meet that need,鈥� he said.
麻豆直播 President, Dr. Jesse Smith praised the graduates and faculty for meeting the increasing demand for healthcare professionals while also highlighting the broader impact nurses have on families and communities.
鈥淭here is not one program that will return a higher investment on the community than an associate degree nursing student,鈥� Smith told the audience. 鈥淎 nurse is more than just somebody who takes care of you. They are a vital economic engine for life, health and wealth in our state.鈥�
Smith also credited the expansion of the program and the college鈥檚 health simulation center for helping 麻豆直播 produce its largest graduating class.
鈥淲e made a commitment,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭he legislature said they would support us if we doubled the output of nurses, and here we are today.鈥�
For class president Abby Shows of Richton, the ceremony reflected the close bond formed among classmates during the demanding five semester program.
鈥淭he closeness this group has is something that I will always cherish,鈥� Shows said during her remarks. 鈥淭he friendship nursing school has brought me is nothing short of irreplaceable.鈥�
Shows thanked classmates for supporting one another through long clinical days, stressful exams and personal struggles.
鈥淚n a world full of people that say when you go to nursing school, be careful and watch your back because you鈥檙e going to be on your own, we never had to because we had each other鈥檚,鈥� she said.
Among the graduates celebrating together were mother and daughter Lyndi Pryor and Brinna Moss of Laurel. Forty-one-year-old Pryor has worked as a licensed practical nurse for 10 years and said becoming a registered nurse had been a long-term goal. After narrowly missing completion of another RN program by two-tenths of a point, she enrolled in 麻豆直播鈥檚 bridge program, unexpectedly alongside her daughter.
鈥淚 am graduating with my daughter and that means the world to me,鈥� Pryor said. 鈥淲e have both leaned on each other. She鈥檚 given me strength and I鈥檝e given her strength and we鈥檝e helped each other get through it together.鈥�
Pryor described the moment as the culmination of more than a decade of hard work and perseverance.
鈥淏eing an RN has been my goal for a while, so being able to share this moment with my daughter has meant a lot to me,鈥� she said.
Pryor鈥檚 21-year-old daughter, Brinna Moss, said faith carried her through the challenges of nursing school.
鈥淚 would definitely say the Lord has gotten me here today,鈥� Moss said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a tough road over the last two years, but it鈥檚 definitely been worth it.鈥�
She admitted balancing her own studies while worrying about her mother added another emotional layer to the experience.
鈥淚 wanted her to pass with me because that鈥檚 a very big deal,鈥� Moss said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of tears and excitement. It鈥檚 a special moment to be able to do this with her.鈥�
Kaylyn Walters of Moselle also returned to school after years of working as a licensed practical nurse in an OB-GYN clinic.
鈥淚 knew that I could do more,鈥� Walters said. 鈥淭oday is important to me and I鈥檓 just thankful that the Lord gave me the opportunity to be here today.鈥�
Walters said the support of her family helped her persevere through the program.
鈥淗aving them here means the world to me. I couldn鈥檛 have done it without them,鈥� she said.
Another family connection highlighted during the ceremony involved sisters Sidney Walters of Hattiesburg and Hannah Brady of Madison.
Sidney Walters has been working as an R.N. for more than two years after graduating from 麻豆直播. Watching her younger sister complete the program was emotional because Brady had supported her through nursing school.
鈥淪he lived with me while I was in nursing school and was very supportive,鈥� Sidney Walters said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of her.鈥�
Brady, who previously earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education before feeling called into healthcare, said seeing her sister鈥檚 passion for nursing inspired her career change.
鈥淚 just saw how much she loved it and how much of a vessel she was,鈥� Brady said. 鈥淚 feel the Lord calling me, so I鈥檓 going to be obedient, and now I鈥檓 here.鈥�
Brady said sharing the milestone with her sisters made the day even more meaningful.
鈥淥ne thing that unites us is our relationship with Christ,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so special to be able to share this with my sister.鈥�
During the ceremony, graduates recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge before receiving the traditional Maltese Cross nursing pin, symbolizing their entrance into the profession and their permanent place in the 麻豆直播 nursing family. Cummings said the graduates overcame not only the rigors of nursing school, but also the challenges of everyday life.
鈥淭hey have all the challenges of life going on,鈥� Cummings said. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 stop while they鈥檙e in nursing school. They鈥檙e dealing with all of that plus the rigors of the nursing curriculum.鈥�
Despite those demands, many graduates already have jobs lined up in hospitals and clinics across Mississippi, helping address the growing nursing shortage throughout the state.
麻豆直播 Associate Degree Nursing graduates 2026
- Samantha Abbey, Stringer
- Sierra Ardis, Waynesboro
- Hailey Barnes, Moselle
- Hope Barnes, Laurel
- Quindalyn Barnett, Taylorsville
- Carley Beasley, Buckatunna
- Sierrah Beasley, Foxworth
- Alissa Moulder Beatty, Pachuta
- Kinsey Bellinger, Petal
- Christy Boe, Moselle
- Chloe Boyles, Forrest
- Hannah Brady, Madison
- Makenzie Buchanan, Laurel
- Madelynn Buckley, Ellisville
- Joseph Clark, Laurel
- Caylen Corley, Richton
- Deborah Craig, Hattiesburg
- Jessica Deare, Sumrall
- Halie Dunn, Collins
- Britton Dunnam, Richton
- CariAna McLeod Erkhart, Lucedale
- Harleigh Fortenberry, Moselle
- Cameron Gentry, Prentiss
- Starlett Gilmore, Byram
- Camdyn Goddard, Soso
- Elijah Gray, Heidelberg
- Allexus Hall, Lumberton
- Karli Hall, Mt Olive
- Makayla Halton, Louin
- Breanna Walley Harris, Richton
- Jacob Harris, Raleigh
- Peyton Williams Holifield, Laurel
- Brianna Williams Loftin, Waynesboro
- Anna Lott, Pulaski
- Abigail (Abbie) Trejo Madrigal, Moselle
- Samantha McGowan, Laurel
- Shelby McLain, Waynesboro
- Brittany Minchew, Bay Springs
- Taylor Minter, Ellisville
- Brinna Moss, Laurel
- Wayne (Allen) Nitsche, Collins
- Gracie Parker, Bay Springs
- Daniel Patterson, Moselle
- Alyssa Humphrey Poirier, Petal
- Lyndi Pryor, Laurel
- Sommer Ramsey, Laurel
- Kasia Rankin, Waynesboro
- Lenzi Roney, Laurel
- Knija Russell, Waynesboro
- Abby Shows, Richton
- Chloe Smith, Sumrall
- Jennifer Spears, Ellisville
- Annalee Stringer, Seminary
- Kastyn Daughdrill Sullivan, Richton
- Kailee Thompson/Burge, Columbia
- Lainey Wallace, Mt Olive
- Isabella Walters, Ellisville
- Kaylyn Walters, Moselle
- Felicity West/English, Stringer
- Audrey Whitehead, Hattiesburg