UH Hilo School of Nursing honors its 2026 doctoral and bachelor’s graduates with ceremonies

Posted on May 22, 2026June 4, 2026 by Staff

The School of Nursing celebrated its 2026 graduates with a White Coat Ceremony for those who received doctoral degrees, and Pinning Ceremonies for those with bachelor’s.

Six graduate pose on lawn in front of building. — The 2026 UH Hilo Doctor of Nursing Practice cohort. (Photo: School of Nursing/UH Hilo)

By Staff/UH Hilo Stories.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo School of Nursing held three ceremonies this month in celebration of graduates from its doctoral and bachelor programs: one on campus for those receiving their doctoral degrees, and a ceremony each for the bachelor’s cohorts based in Hilo and Waiʻanae.

Doctor of Nursing Practice

The School of Nursing celebrated six graduates from its doctor of nursing practice program with a White Coat Ceremony on May 14, 2026. The DNP is a doctoral degree for nurses at the highest level of nursing practice.

Gina Burnett
Maria Flores
Christine Kurohara
Connie Lamour
Ramona Nakagawa
Fannie Yang

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The School of Nursing held a Pinning Ceremony on campus, May 15, 2026, for Hilo graduates earning a bachelor of science in nursing. The Nursing Class of 2026 includes a UH Hilo-based cohort and a cohort of students from Waiʻanae, Oʻahu, who held their own Pinning Ceremony. There is a longstanding affiliation of the Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health and the UH Hilo School of Nursing.

At the annual Pinning Ceremony, which is a traditional ceremony of induction into the profession of nursing, a pin and white stole are presented to the graduate by their significant other, family member or friend, and the director of the program.

The Nightingale Pledge, named in honor of Florence Nightingale, is recited by graduates during the Pinning Ceremony:

“I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”