Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, celebrated 104 graduating nursing students, including Sydney Sanders from Kutztown, on May 7, with a nursing pinning ceremony in Haas Center for the Arts on campus.

Nursing students receive their pin through a “pinning ceremony” which is a way to celebrate their accomplishments as well as a way to look forward to their future as professional nurses.

The first nursing pin or ‘badge’ in the United States was presented to the class of 1880.

This badge was created by the first Nightingale School of Nursing at Bellevue Hospital.

It symbolized vigilance, mercy, and relief of suffering.

The distinctive nursing pin of BU was designed by the students of the class of 1979, the first graduates of the nursing program.

The first part of the pin is its colors, maroon and gold, which represent the colors of Bloomsburg University.

The second part is the Nightingale flame which signifies enlightenment, new knowledge and new experiences.

The final part of Bloomsburg’s nursing pin is the inscription “QUALITAE OED/CAT” which means dedicated to quality.

These three parts of the nursing pin symbolize the accomplishments of Bloomsburg University nursing students.

It signifies achievement, dedication and commitment to nursing.