SEDALIA — State Fair Community College celebrated 53 Health Sciences students with a commencement, pinning ceremony and awards on Dec. 13 at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on the Sedalia campus.
Twenty-five students received their Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (RN) degrees and 26 received Professional Certificates in Practical Nursing (LPN). These graduates attended classes on the Eldon and Sedalia campuses. Two students received their Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology.
Amber Taylor, of Warrensburg, and Holland Ross, of Jefferson City, were recognized as recipients of SFCC’s Practical Nursing Excellence Awards. Jolynn Johnson, of Eldon, and Maya Farr, of Warrensburg, were recognized as recipients of SFCC’s Associate Degree Nursing Excellence Awards.
Kathy Newell-Lewis, an alumna of SFCC, delivered the commencement address to the graduates. Newell-Lewis graduated from SFCC in 1995 with her Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree and went on to earn a bachelor’s in nursing and a master’s degree. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in health care administration. Since 2015 she has worked as a travel nurse in Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Missouri where she is now at Mercy Hospital in Springfield.
“So, 26 years ago, I sat in a chair awaiting my commencement from this very campus,” said Newell-Lewis to the graduates. “SFCC has and always will have a special place in my heart. This college not only gave me a chance, but it also instilled in me the art of nursing … Take what you have learned and do something remarkable … your future begins today.”
