MOUNT VERNON — On Monday, laughter and tears mingled with sighs of relief and a sense of accomplishment when members the Knox County Career Center School of Practical Nursing Class of 2010 completed their graduation exercises in an auditorium filled with proud friends and family members.
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Speaking of the trials, struggles and achievements of the class, president Trisha McGrath said, “Here we are — almost all of us — together, which is awesome. ... I’ve seen amazing things happen in our class, and amazing people. We’ve helped each other through a lot, and today we are standing together as graduates.”
McGrath also acknowledged faculty members and, on behalf of her classmates, thanked the families and friends for their sacrifices to help the students complete their journey.
“Pat yourselves on the back,” keynote speaker Kaye Lani Rafko-Wilson told the class. “Welcome to the wonderful world of nursing.”
Rafko-Wilson, Miss America 1988, described how she became the first ever registered nurse to be crowned Miss America. She said she entered the pageant to earn scholarship money to pay for nursing school, and has used the platform to talk about the career she loves most — nursing. Listing some of the tangible rewards she earned as Miss America, she said they couldn’t come close to the intangible rewards she has received from her patients and their families.
