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Staff members and supporters of the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation celebrated 30 new certified nursing assistants, who recently completed their two-year program at the cooperative educational establishment.
Both the morning and afternoon pinning ceremonies welcomed family members, teachers, CiTi Board of Education members and first-year CNA students from the Career and Technical Education program as the second-year students reminisced about their experiences and friendships, while they were officially pinned as certified nursing assistants.
Instructor Julie Warren told both classes that the past two years have been rewarding for her to witness the growth and maturity of the AM and PM students. Beginning in September of 2017, Warren said the road hasn’t been easy, but the students were determined to stay the course of success.
AM class valedictorian Olivia Thrall, a senior within the Phoenix Central School District, expressed the importance of the bonding, support and learning at CiTi. She thanked the AM class for “making the last two years of my life so exciting.” Co-salutatorian Megan Hess also shared both positive and humorous comments about each of her classmates. Co-salutatorian Victoria Tyrrell said that “coming to BOCES was the best decision of my junior year,” and she detailed how she went from crying with self-doubt during her first year in the program to becoming confident with clinical rotations and finding her passion.
Both Tyrrell and PM class valedictorian Anna Farmer both encouraged the first-year students to not give up when the coursework becomes tough. Farmer said she enjoyed all experiences of clinical rotations, including making beds, assisting with wrapping bed sores, emptying a colostomy bag, and most of all, connecting with residents.
At both ceremonies, first-year CNA students presented their second-year peers with special handmade awards, which indicated their connections made in the classroom.
“You each hold a special place in our hearts,” Warren said to each class. “You’ve been taught repeatedly if you didn’t document it, you didn’t do it. Well, you did it!”
