CLASS OF 2026
Pinning Celebration Bouvé College of Health Sciences August 18, 2026
PROGRAM Welcome Grace Buttriss Director, Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing Program Charlotte Campus
Dean’s Address Amanda Choflet Dean, School of Nursing Angela Hosking CEO and Regional Dean, Charlotte Campus
Keynote Address Stephanie O’Bryon Director, Patient Care Services, Adult Emergency DepartmentsMain, Mercy, and South Park, Atrium Health
Student Address Garret Ferguson
Recognition of Graduates Amanda Choflet Dean, School of Nursing
Student Awards Presentation Grace Buttriss Director, Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing Program Charlotte Campus
Closing Remarks Amanda Choflet Dean, School of Nursing
PINNING TRADITION The School of Nursing pin is a distinctive mark, rich in history and meaning. It can be traced to heraldry, which is the system of devising and granting insignias for Coats of Arms. The Pinning Ceremony is a time-honored nursing school tradition, dating back to 1855 when Florence Nightingale was awarded a brooch by England’s Queen Victoria for her efforts in the Crimean War. It signifies the integrity and tradition of badges worn by the early healers and crusaders of care. Over the course of time, the Pinning Ceremony has evolved and for most, marks the passage from that of student nurse role to the practice role, and for some, the attainment of advanced education. Each school adopts its own symbol to indicate the excellent nursing education the student received. In the Pinning Ceremony performed today, each baccalaureate student may receive a pin that proudly displays Northeastern University’s motto Lux Veritas Virtus. Regardless of where their new careers in nursing take them, their pins will let their colleagues and patients know where they earned their nursing credentials. The pin also signifies the acceptance of the many responsibilities incumbent upon those entering into the profession and practice of nursing. Wearing of the nursing pin is a source of pride.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Stephanie O’Bryon As a member of the adjunct faculty at Northeastern University’s School of Nursing, Stephanie O’Bryon has contributed to the education of the next generation of nurses in the tradition the school exemplifies: one that combines rigorous scholarship with hands-on, practice-based learning. Her career, built on translating evidence into action at the bedside, reflects the very values this institution instills in its graduates. A nurse executive and Doctor of Nursing Practice with more than 30 years of experience, O’Bryon currently provides executive nursing leadership across Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center, Mercy, and SouthPark campuses, and serves as the nursing lead for emergency services throughout the Greater Charlotte region. Her career has been distinguished by a sustained commitment to translating clinical experience into innovation. Drawing on expertise across women’s health, oncology, behavioral health, and medical-surgical care, she has advanced evidence-based practice within emergency and trauma services. Under her leadership, the Atrium Health CMC Main Emergency Department received the Emergency Nurses Association’s Lantern Award in both 2023 and 2026, the highest national recognition for excellence in leadership, practice, engagement, and patient outcomes. O’Bryon has also demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the protection and advancement of the nursing workforce. She led initiatives that reduced workplace violence injuries by 64 percent, work subsequently adopted systemwide and published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing. This achievement reflects her conviction that the well-being of caregivers and the quality of patient care are inextricably linked. A Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellow, researcher, author, and speaker, she continues to advance the nursing profession through both scholarship and practice. O’Bryon attributes her achievements to the teams with whom she has had the privilege of working. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in relationship building, psychological safety, innovation, and the cultivation of environments in which both caregivers and patients may thrive. Her principles, which mirror the values championed by Northeastern’s School of Nursing, make her a compelling model for its graduates. O’Bryon received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Salisbury University, her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Walden University, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Vanderbilt University.
ACCELERATED BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING Amaya Anderson Chelessa Applewhite Courtney Bark Jordan Craig Perry Emma Donaldson Jessica Edwards Violet Evans Garret Ferguson Samantha Goba Kai Griffin Sugule Hassan Madelyne Holmes Saadatu Jibrin Samuel Kim Jordan Leader Grace Ludeman
§ Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society
J’kel Mines Landry Neidert Halie O’Neill § Olivia Pelkey Chloe Rogers Claire Seward Kirah Shaw Joshua Shingu Allyni Strickland Areyanna Walker Samantha Warner Sofiya Whitehead Ebony Whitworth Camden Woods Tina Yi
CHARLOTTE CAMPUS NURSING FACULTY Amanda Choflet, Dean, School of Nursing, and Associate Dean, Bouvé College of Health Sciences Lynn Reede, Assistant Dean, School of Nursing Graduate Programs and Director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Jane Saczynski, Assistant Dean of Research, School of Nursing Yiyuan Sun, Associate Chair, School of Nursing Stacey Waite, Assistant Dean, Nursing Pre-licensure Programs
Ashley Bailey Barbara Ballard Bandy, Jessica Kathy Barnard Yarshika Barringer Susan Bartos Stephanie Bethea Anne Bixler Kami Blackley Decoya Blue Heather Brown Angela Bruccoli Brittanie Butler Grace Buttriss Tru Byrnes Jennifer Church NaTonya Daniels Katrina Daye-Whitehead Jamie Drew Jennifer Deese Lucy Easler Deborah Evans Heather Fincher Emily Frederick Tammy Garcia Lindsay Garner
Chris Gates Dalena Gleaton Tukessa Goodwin Kenya Gregg Michelle Harshey Angie Hatley Sarah Heafner Kathryn Heisig Brittany Helms Renee James April Keever Brandee Khoshnevis Taylor Kilgour Desirae Kindley Christy Leyland Krystal Lott Rachael Marshall Colton McElveen Karen McKahan Jasmine McRae Erin Morabito Kimberly Neal Nikita Nesmith Stephanie O’Bryon Susan Patterson Sherise Pittman
Leah Prasse Sarah Price Veronica Rankin Kristy Rogers Nicolas Rojas Robert Rose Brandy Santana Racquel Santiago Kathy Shaffer Julie Shaw Taylor Smith
Nathanial Suarez Sally Underwood Ashley Vanhoose Janice Walker Jennifer Walker Darby Walton Kelly Weaver Joselyn White Maryanne White Kenya Yeomans-Morehead
Forever a Husky