On Friday, May 9, 2025, at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, 136 nursing students graduated from the program. Twenty-five participated in the 40th annual UMFK Nurse Pinning Ceremony at the Sports Center on the UMFK campus.
The following BSN students received their nursing pins: Hannah M. Albert (Madawaska); Livia G. Bouchard (St. Agatha); Harmony F. Castonguay (Livermore Falls, ME); Tania Cook (Parkeburg, PA); Hannah Crocker (Stetson, ME); Leslie A. Curtis (Caribou, ME); Emma N. Deprey (Fort Kent); Shellie M. Dill (Lincoln, ME); Pearl Ejiogu-Njoku (Fort Kent); Erna Fosung (Lynn, MA); Britania V. Francis (Charlestown, St. Ann, Jamaica); Emily M. Gendreau (Madawaska); Caitlyn B. Green (Fort Kent); Cady E. Hebert (Fort Kent); Marjorie E. Johnson (Brunswick, ME); Amy N. Katende (Sidney, ME); Kathy B. Martin (Fort Kent); Nancy Martin (Fort Kent); Allee R. Morgan (St. Francis); Darci R. Pelletier (Fort Kent); Raegan Perfitt (Houlton, ME); Makayla E. Quimby (Eddington, ME); Elly R. Sirois (Fort Kent); JoMari L. Smith (Fort Wayne, IN); and Kevonnie Smith (Portland, Jamaica).
Faculty, staff, and students, along with family members and friends of the graduates, gathered to honor the recipients of the Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. University President Deb Hedeen welcomed attendees and extended congratulations to the students.
The theme for this year’s pinning ceremony was “The Power of Nurses.”
“The nursing pin you receive today represents far more than the time you spent in classrooms, labs, and clinical settings. It signifies your transformation into a trusted guardian of health, an advocate for the vulnerable, and a professional prepared to serve with knowledge, skill, professionalism, and empathy. It connects you to the long legacy of nurses who came before you, and to those whose lives you will touch,” said Dean of Nursing Dr. Erin C. Soucy.
The guest speaker for the pinning ceremony was UMFK Professor of Nursing, Dr. Tanya Sleeper, Ph.D., JD, MSN, MSB, GNP-BC, CHC.
Dr. Sleeper said, “The American Association of Colleges of Nursing estimates that there are nearly 5.2 million registered nurses nationwide. Moreover, as we reflect upon the power of the profession, this afternoon, we focus our attention on the power every nurse possesses to shape and influence care at the bedside and beyond.”
“As graduate nurses, you are in a unique position to leverage your knowledge to advance quality of care and bring forth the latest in evidence-based nursing practice to the workplace,” adds Dr. Sleeper.
In conclusion, Dr. Sleeper offered some important strategies to the nurse graduates: always be willing and open to learning; identify opportunities to get involved in committee and community work; identify issues you are passionate about and take action. Finding an issue you are passionate about lends significantly to our advocacy role in nursing, and further, inform and inspire others.
To begin the ceremony, UMFK Assistant Professor of Nursing, Dr. Maisie Plourde, DNP, MSN, RN, thanked the following institutions for supporting the graduates during their clinical courses, as well as offering them a setting in which to complete their preceptorships. In Maine: Cary Medical Center; Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center; Forest Hill Long Term, Rehabilitation, and Skilled Nursing Center; Houlton Regional Hospital; Maine Health Mid Coast Hospital; Maine Health Stephens Hospital; Maine Medical Center; Northern Light Acadia Hospital; Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital; Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center; and Northern Maine Medical Center. Out-of-state preceptorships occurred at: Elliot Hospital (New Hampshire); Olathe Medical Center (Kansas); Parkview Regional Medical Center (Indiana); Portsmouth Regional Hospital (New Hampshire); and Spartanburg Medical Center (South Carolina).
Since the UMFK Nursing Division relies so heavily on the hospitals in the region, NMMC, Cary Medical Center, and Northern Light AR Gould Hospital were presented with a plaque, which will be displayed on the wall of their institution. Plourde also asked the audience for a round of applause for the many professional nurses who committed themselves to being preceptors for the UMFK senior students and helping them become the best nurses they can be and making a difference in the students’ lives.
During the ceremony, Hannah Albert and Nancy Martin were both honored with the Student Nurse Citizenship Award. This award honors the diligence, manners, responsibility, conscientiousness, and thoughtful involvement characteristic of an exemplary citizen. This award also recognizes a student who not only excels academically but also demonstrates outstanding achievements in the campus community and exceptional leadership skills.
UMFK Nursing Resource Manager and Principal Lecturer Larry Nadeau said, “Hannah Albert is a polite, professional, and intelligent person dedicated to the highest standards of patient care. She continually ensures patients receive quality care with an emphasis on safety. Hannah was the president of the Student Nursing Organization during her junior and senior years. Under her leadership, she led fellow students to the National Student Nurse Association convention in Orlando, Florida. Creative, passionate, and innovative, she will leave a lasting impression on our Student Nursing Organization and our campus. Hanna will influence positive patient outcomes, inspire others to do their best work, and come up with innovative solutions to the challenges in healthcare. She will truly affect healthcare in many ways. We cannot wait to see what she will accomplish next.”
UMFK Principal Lecturer of Nursing Sandy Pelletier, MSN, RN, said, “Nancy Martin not only completed a 4-year BSN degree in three years, but she has also done so by making the Dean’s list every semester and was inducted into the UMFK Nursing Honor Society. She was able to complete all of this by playing and excelling at the sport she absolutely loves, soccer.” Other awards bestowed on her were Rookie of the Year; USCAA All-Academic and All-American honors; and UMFK Ronnie Guy Award, to name a few.
Nancy Martin has also served her campus community as a UMFK student nurse representative for the nursing curriculum committee, a UMFK Bengal Mentor, and UMFK Student Nurses Organization Activities Coordinator in 2023. In 2024, she served in the UMFK student athletics committee as an athletic facility manager and, in her spare time, as an academic tutor.
The Division of Nursing also honors an alumna or alumnus during the pinning ceremony. The Outstanding Nursing Alumni Award is bestowed upon a nursing graduate of the UMFK Bachelor of Science in Nursing program who displays accomplishment in the nursing profession, as well as a commitment to his/her community through volunteer service and humanitarian efforts. Emily Worcester, of Harrington, ME, was presented the 2025 Outstanding Nurse Alumnus Award.
“It is an honor and a privilege to stand before you today to recognize someone who exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a nurse — a graduate of UMFK’s nursing program, a compassionate caregiver, and a tireless advocate for patients and families,” said Dr. Soucy.
Emily Worcester currently works at Northern Light’s Eastern Maine Medical Center. She has earned the Daisy Award twice. This award was created to celebrate extraordinary nurses whose clinical skills and compassionate care make a profound difference in the lives of their patients. It recognizes nurses who go above and beyond, often in quiet, unseen moments, bringing dignity, comfort, and hope where it is needed most. Emily is a 2013 graduate in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and earned a minor in behavioral science, and she is a proud veteran.
Additionally, the Division of Nursing annually recognizes individuals of the community who demonstrate a commitment to health care, nursing, and nursing education. This year, former Maine State Senator Troy Jackson was honored with the Community Leader Award.
Throughout his political career, Senator Jackson has become well known as a staunch advocate for workers’ rights and health care, introducing several bills on these fronts. His work in the health care arena is particularly noteworthy as he consistently sought to protect our most vulnerable, tackling the rising costs of prescription drug costs and health care costs while fighting to keep the Maine Veterans’ Homes in Caribou and Machias open. In addition, his advocacy efforts on behalf of Maine’s older adults earned him two awards as the Maine Council on Aging’s 2022 Legislator of the Year and one of Maine Health Care Association’s 2022 Legislators of the Year.
To add, Dr. Sleeper mentioned she had the opportunity to hear Senator Jackson speak on many occasions, as well as hear him testify in favor of a bill and every time she heard him speak – it is his commitment to doing what is right and just that has always resonated with her the most.
The address to the senior class was delivered by Hanna Albert.
Hanna welcomed everyone. Thanked the dedicated nursing faculty for shaping their knowledge and character, and acknowledgement of the challenges of nursing school. She expressed pride in her classmates’ accomplishments and reflected on their growth from novice students to confident nurses.
“As we transition into our professional careers as nurses, I would like to share a very important lesson that this journey has taught me – it is that to care for others is not just a job – it is a privilege that should not be taken lightly. It is a unique honor to be entrusted with the care of people and their families in their most vulnerable state,” said Hanna.
Hanna concluded with thanks for the memories and well wishes for the graduates’ future endeavors in nursing.
Closing remarks were delivered by Principal Lecturer Pelletier.
The UMFK Nursing Division faculty and staff are Dr. Erin C. Soucy, Dr. Rachel E. Albert, Kortney Collins, Rebecca Dias, Larry Nadeau, Stephanie Nadeau, Sandy Pelletier, Fran Picard, Dr. Maisie Plourde, Denise Potvin, Dr. Tanya Sleeper, Nicole Theriault, and Dr. Stacy Thibodeau.