LPN students graduate from STI

Twenty four students will soon start careers as practical nurses, after graduating from Southeastern Technical Institute (STI) on July 8. The students, who have completed an intense 10-month program, are now ready to take their NCLEX-PN exam, which, if passed, enables them to work as Licensed Practical Nurses.

Before the traditional pinning ceremony, School Superintendent Luis Lopes congratulated both the teachers and students for teaching and passing the rigorous STI curriculum. He said the school is now ranked number one (by Practical Nursing.org) in the state for Licensed Practical Nurses programs, out of 24 state-approved programs. The ranking is based on the percentage of students who have passed their NCLEX-PN exams in the last five years.

He also praised the students for choosing a career that is vital to the community.

“What you do is more than just a job – it is career in public service, and you will help to make the world a better place,” he said.

The graduates came from a wide variety of backgrounds and careers. Carinna Kelly-Dias of South Easton, who was chosen by her classmates to be a student speaker, said she worked as a bakery manager for 18 years before enrolling in the program. She said she was nervous about studying nursing, because she didn’t have a medical background, but the program director assured her that she could succeed, as long as she was dedicated.

By the end of the year, she had excelled in the program, and won the school’s award for clinical work. She said the most moving experience, however, was working with a cancer patient, who was in severe pain. She said she told him to close his eyes and to think of fishing at the Cape Cod Canal, which allowed him to fall asleep.

“He died a week later, and I cried because it’s the first time I felt like I made a difference, even for a moment, in someone’s life,” she said.

Keynote speaker Katelyn Harte, of Foxboro, said the graduates should not despair that they couldn’t do everything perfectly, because everyone would bring “something special” to their medical teams. Ms. Harte, who is a 2010 STI graduate, also said that one of the greatest benefits of nursing is its multiple career options. She has worked at a dementia unit for nursing home, a correctional facility, and an infectious disease clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is now a dermatology nurse at a specialty clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“As you grow into your career as a nurse, you will learn so much about yourself along the way, and it will ultimately make you a better, person,” she said.

Four students also were given awards and scholarships, based on their academic performance. Stephanie Hanlon, of Hanson, received the Academic Achievement Award (highest GPA), Corrina Kelly-Dias, of South Easton, received the Clinical Excellence Award, Jenna Aries, of Norton, received the Practical Nurse Program Scholarship, and Ashley Floeck, of Mansfield, received the Southeastern Regional Teachers Federation Scholarship.

The graduates include:

Jenna Aries – Norton

Sasha Booker – Fall River

Wanda Burgo – Taunton

Alice Campbell – Norton

Heather Craine – Brockton

Venessa Duverger – Attleboro

Frances Fignole – Brockton

Ashley Floeck – Mansfield

Edward Godino III – Brockton

Christine Guerrier – Middleboro

Stephanie Hanlon – Hanson

Karen Hart – Norton

Jacklyn Hunt – Norton

Jaimie Johnson – Whitman

Corrina Kelly-Dias – Easton

Aimee Larkin – Mansfield

Hannah McBride – Hull

Tamar Nicolas – Brockton

Kaylin Rego – Taunton

Angelique Roma – Quincy

Alexandria Stafford – Mansfield

Kelly Stratton – Stoughton

James Vedrine – Brockton

Vicky Weche – Brockton

Southeastern Technical Institute (STI), www.sti-tech.org, provides training in a diverse range of vocational fields, which are geared to meet the training needs of the community and local businesses. The school currently offers day and evening programs that include Practical Nurse; Medical Assistant; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning; Dental Assistant; Culinary Arts; and Cosmetology. In addition, there are several evening part time programs designed to meet the training needs of our community.