Almost 30 local adults joining the healthcare field were recognized during the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program’s 61st Commencement and Pledge Ceremony on Wednesday, June 25, at Herkimer Middle-High School.
The Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program offers three options: a full-time day class, a part-time day class and a part-time evening class. Students from all three classes who completed the program and have the opportunity to pass exams to become licensed practical nurses were celebrated during the ceremony.
The following are the 2025 graduates of the Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program:
Full-time program: Arizonia Arndt, Lanyia Brown, Iriele Chery, Taylor Dicob, Shayla Donnelly, Skylar Harper, Damian LeFave, Nina Maine and Michael Zyskowski.
Part-time day program: Amina Cemer, Lyli Cirillo, Mudee Hlakaw, Messanh Housluvi, Latoya Jenkins, Taneisha Johnson, Sara Jones, Kpaw Paw, Shelizbeth Rodriguez, Crystal Spisak, Moniquia Thompson and Taylor Wright.
Part-time evening program: Morgan Cahill, Kelsey Cough, Carol Kamp, Tashiry Maldonado, Raina Robinson-Rank, Rebecca Streiff, Natalya Verenich and Miriam Yoder.
During the ceremony, Herkimer BOCES District Superintendent D.J. Shepardson welcomed attendees. Theresa Appler, a Class of 2001 graduate of the Adult Practical Nursing Program, gave the guest speech. Robinson-Rank and Rodriguez gave the student speeches. Adult Practical Nursing Program Coordinator Marcia Thomas-Bruce announced the special recognition award winners, Herkimer BOCES Board of Education President Holly Pullis presented the diplomas to graduates, LPN faculty awarded the graduation pins, instructor Erin Brien led students in a candle-lighting ceremony and Herkimer BOCES Director of Instructional Support Services & Adult Education Ruth Leavitt officially announced the Class of 2025.
The following were the winners of the special recognition and clinical awards:
NEXES scholarship award recipients: Maldonado and Robinson-Rank.
Highest Average in Fundamentals: Spisak for part-time days, Robinson-Rank for part-time evenings and Zyskowski for full-time days.
Highest Average in Med-Surg: Robinson-Rank for part-time evenings and Zyskowski for days.
Most Improved Student: Wright for days and Yoder for evenings.
Best Clinical Nurse: Jones for days and Robinson-Rank for evenings.
Florence Nightingale Nurse Award: Johnson for days and Kamp for evenings.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program Class of 2025 participates in a candle-lighting ceremony during the program’s 61st Commencement and Pledge Ceremony on Wednesday June 25, at Herkimer Middle-High School.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program pose in the hallway at their Commencement and Pledge Ceremony on Wednesday June 25, at Herkimer Middle-High School.