From pinning ceremonies to being inducted into the National Technical Honor Society, students from all over the six-county* Columbus Technical College service area are in the proverbial spotlight these days. 

Loved ones filled the seats in Patrick Hall’s McCaulley Auditorium starting on Friday, April 24 with the pinning ceremony for the dental hygiene degree students. They are: Jessica Alford (Troup County, GA), Anne Appler, Lindsey Childs, Hannah Dickson (Russell County, AL), Elizabeth Fowler (Lee County, AL), Karita Galloway (Russell County, AL) Drew Goins (Lee County, AL), Amanda Hampton, Rebecca Kline (Harris County, GA) Chezleigh Lackey (Sumter County, GA), Chloe Mannino (Russell County, AL), Eona Martin, Kristen Morris (Coweta County, GA), Dallas Perry, and Ashley Suggs. The 15 students also took the Dental Hygiene Oath and were presented with their official lab coats during the emotional ceremony. 

On Monday, April 27, the 12 students who completed the respiratory care technology degree held their pinning ceremony. Congratulations to: Nicole Blanding, Josqueline Burden, Bertina Elias, Lauren Ellis, Leonna Harris (Russell County, AL), Lindsay McLaurin, Danielle Myers, Stacy Remley, Qwana SanNicolas, Delanie Wasikowski, Tiffany Woods, and Portia Wright. 

Other healthcare-related pinning celebrants included the eleven students in the 2015 Class of Diagnostic Medical Sonography identified as: Wallace Bagwell, Ashley Brooks, Betsy Cammon (Lee County, AL), Brett Coley, Lindsey Franklin, Kelly Lowe (Harris County, GA), Jody Hill, Branndy Moore, Heather Shotton, Sherita Thomas, and Jodie Vessell . On Monday, May 4, 25 Practical Nursing students Jessica Booth (Lee County, AL), Kendall Butler, Tonya Davis (Lee County, AL), Breanna Ellison, Priscilla Flint, Richard Garland, Destiny Hayes (Harris County, GA), Mia Hudson, Jessica Jones, Sharissa Lewis, Kelli Makin, Racheal Martinez, Samantha Meinke (Fort Benning/Chattahoochee County), Monique Middleton, Shanika Mulrain, Christopher Phifer (Troup County), Victoria Pitts, Nateisha Randall, Tara Replogle, LaShandra Robinson, Lindsay Robinson, Kira Scott, Vanessa Vega, Brittany Williams, and Sandra Wilson celebrated. There were six students from Pharmacy Technology honored on Wednesday, May 6. They are: Antoinette Davis, Savanna Haile (Lee County, AL), Kimberly Kennedy, Kemberly Moore, La’Keitha Ofton (Russell County, AL), and Cedric Pugh. 

There were more than 60 dually-enrolled high school students honored at the Nurse Aide ceremony held on April 28. These students earned college credit and will soon be Certified Nurse Assistants – all while in high school. 

Thirty-three of Columbus Technical College’s best and brightest were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society on Tuesday, April 28. Those students are: Wallace Bagwell, Brenda Barnett, Jennifer Boggs (Lee County, AL), William Boggs, Verlene Cesar (Russell County, AL), Nancy Choe, Katrina DeHaven, Kathy Dunlap, Mary Franklin, Alexis Gerber, Maxanna Gillenwaters, John Hulin, Talley Jordan, Danielle Lanier, Kelly Lowe, Anita Luna (Chattahoochee County, GA), Chalika Menefield, Branndy Moore, Craig Murphy (Harris County, GA), Thinh Quoc Nguyen, Brenda Piotrowski, April Pitts, Madison Priester, Nikki Rembert, Alla Shirokova, Heather Shotton, Maria Taft, Shekea Thomas, Tessa Veal, Ian Vigier, Amanda Walker, Christopher Washington, and India Waters. Being accepted into the NTHS is a huge honor. In order to qualify for the National Technical Honor Society at Columbus Technical College, a student must have completed at least 40 credit hours of study and hold a GPA of a 3.5 or higher. Each student is nominated by a faculty member. Thousands of schools and colleges throughout the United States and its territories have a chapter of the honor society on their campus. These member schools agree that NTHS encourages higher scholastic achievement, cultivates a desire for personal excellence and helps top students find success in today’s highly competitive workplace. 

Rounding out the celebrations was the pinning ceremony for programs in the Division of Business on May 7. These included students from Accounting to Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Care and Education, Computer Networking and Support, Business Management, and Paralegal. There were 37 students in all. They are: Ellen Moulter (Stewart County, GA), Megan Rivera (Lee County, AL), Gary Dozier, Antoinette Short, Shalondika Shorter, Jacqueline Walker, Tinora Wimberly, Malcom 

Edward Culliver, Jr., Patrick Jackson (Russell County, AL), Stephen Sprung, Gregory Stanley, Tekiyla Tucker, Paul Tutt, Derek Backman, Ritchie Chess, Ieasha Johnson-Myles (Russell County, AL), ShaDarrius Jones, Jacob Laney, Michael Mays, Dontavius Riggins (Mitchell County, GA), Charles Trammell, Kurt Weathered, Kimberly Starks Bryan (Fulton County, GA), Lara Foster (Harris County, GA), Patricia Gibson, Nekeisha Grier, Jenna Griffin, Ashley Jackson, Latoya Rembert, Je’Shane Fitzpatrick, David Pate, Katherine Rutkowski, Gregory Stanley, Briana Joiner, Pamela Jones, and Nikki Rembert. 

Soon, more programs and divisions will be enjoying their day in the sun. The Division of Professional and Technical Services will hold its pinning ceremony on May 28, the Radiologic Technology program will have theirs’ on July 23, Surgical Technology on July 30 and, a first for Columbus Technical College, the Medical Coding program will have its pinning ceremony at the Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning. The program was offered entirely on Post.