Congratulations are in order for Lone Star College-Kingwood Nursing and Occupational Therapy Assistant students. Pinnings for students in both programs were held last month.

Eighteen Vocational Nursing students and 39 Registered Nursing students were part of the pinning ceremony on August 17^th. The pinning marks a newly graduated student into the nursing profession. They will be taking their national exam and earning their licenses in the coming days and weeks.

Marcia Callarman, an LSC-Kingwood Nursing Professor, says, “pinning ceremonies are a time of reflection of the hard work and dedication these students have put forth to successfully finish this nursing school chapter. It is always a joy to see our graduates celebrate their hard work and to have an entire ceremony dedicated to them, their families, and support systems.”

LSC-Kingwood also held its 24^th Pinning Ceremony of the Occupational Therapy Assistant program recently. Twenty students successfully completed their coursework and their capstone clinical rotation courses. Several students have already been offered jobs and received excellent reviews of their performance during their clinical rotations.

Jason Uruski stated that the OTA program gave him a renewed determination to achieve his goals. “Making a career change in my older years was a daunting prospect, but the guidance and encouragement I received from my professors, administrators and classmates provided me with the confidence I needed to move forward. The LSC OTA program has taught me that I can conquer any challenge that I choose to accept, and I am looking forward to making a positive impact on our community as an Occupational Therapy Practitioner.”

Stephanie Humphries said going through the OTA program was the best decision she ever made.

“This program has opened up opportunities and job possibilities I could only dream of! The OTA program successfully builds confidence and a knowledge base in each student to be competent practitioners in the world of Occupational Therapy!”

Sicily Mast, another OTA student remarked, “Lonestar Kingwood's OTA program has a very high success rate. As a new student who had no prior experience in the medical field, I felt that the structure of program was well suited to prepare you for the type of critical thinking skills needed to succeed. I feel prepared to be a licensed practitioner, which is a huge achievement for this program to do for its students in only 2 years. “

But it wasn’t just the coursework that made an impact on another student. Angelina Francisco said the relationships and support from classmates were a large part of her success.

“Once school started and I met my classmates, I realized I was the youngest of the class, which was a little intimidating at first. I quickly realized there was no reason for any feeling of intimidation in the classroom because of how helpful my classmates were. Our class bonded and worked together like I’ve never seen or experienced before going through school.”

Alma Watson, Director of the Program states, “I am honored to be a part of the students’ exciting journey and I know they will continue to succeed.  As an Occupational Therapist, it would be my privilege to work with any of these graduates.”

The students are now able to take their board examination to become Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants.

For more information about the nursing programs, please visit https://www.lonestar.edu/nursing-dept-kingwood.htm.

For information on the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, visit https://www.lonestar.edu/occupational-therapy-dept-kingwood.htm.

Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D. serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area. LSC has been named a 2022 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.

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