Great Bay Community College held a Pinning Ceremony for the 2025 Nursing program graduates on Friday, May 16, at 4 p.m. at the College’s Portsmouth campus. This year, 45 students received their associate of 
The event included a History of Pinning offered by Dr. Dulcinea Kaufman, Nursing Department Chair, who also presented the graduates with their pins. The Student Speaker was Haley Jodoin. The Nightingale Award for Professionalism and Academic Excellence was awarded to Ella Adams-Peron. Classmate Emily Blaney received the Nightingale Award for Exemplary Clinical Practice. Professors of Nursing, Dr. Nancy DeSotto and Erin Regan (Class of 2008) read the Pinning Sentiments and Professor Kelly McDonough led the Nursing Class of 2025 in the Florence Nightingale Pledge.
“This is a very special class,” said Kaufman. “I am so proud of how connected they are to the community and the support they provide each other. This was publicly recognized when the student nurse association was awarded the Education Alliance for New Hampshire’s President’s Leadership Award and the college’s Student Organization of the Year award. They have such diverse backgrounds and have come through many personal challenges over the past several years. Over 80% of the class have already been offered and accepted a position as an RN in the Seacoast area.”
Last year’s Nursing class achieved a 97.5% pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). For the past 5 years, Great Bay nursing students have consistently tested above the national average, with pass rates averaging 94.5%. Demand for slots in the nursing program at Great Bay remains strong, due in part to regional and national trends as well as the program’s reputation for training exceptional nurses.
During the ceremony, the graduates surprised DeSotto, who is retiring after a 17-year career teaching at Great Bay. During that time, she has helped launched the careers of over 800 nurses in New Hampshire.
She’s proud to have played a role in their success, noting the consistently high pass rate that Great Bay students achieve on their national exams. “They take their RN licensing exam, and they are immediately successful,” she said. “We have such good students, and they are really serious students. All the students at Great Bay are just tremendous. It’s been such a pleasure, and part of the joy is seeing our graduates out in the community, working and caring for patients.”
DeSotto said she will miss Great Bay’s “real sense of community. It’s in our name, Great Bay Community College, but it’s also who we are. We’re a small enough school that most students are often from the community and not all of them are 18-year-olds – many most likely have families. And we have great support services. We have a terrific team of tutors and academic coaches, and we have a strong library with dedicated librarians who will spend time one-on-one with students to help them. We really care about their success, as students and as human beings.”
