Mid-State Technical College Recognizes Completers of the Nursing Program
Friday, December 19th, 2025 -- 12:00 PM
Mid-State Technical College recognized the achievements of its 45 Nursing program completers in a pinning ceremony December 16 on the Wisconsin Rapids Campus.
Graduates were joined by their family and friends at the celebration. The nursing pinning ceremony is a celebratory endcap to a nursing student’s academic journey and a bridge between nursing school and a nursing career.
It honors and celebrates nursing students and their path to becoming a nurse. It is also a day of celebration for the nursing faculty who have helped the students reach their goals.
For this year’s graduates, the pinning ceremony carried added significance, as they completed a Nursing program recently named the top RN program in Wisconsin for 2026 by RegisteredNursing.org. The top ranking recognizes the program’s strong student outcomes, innovative hybrid learning model and 100 percent NCLEX pass rate in 2024.
“The Nursing program has challenged me and helped me learn more than I thought was possible in just two years. I have grown not only into a nurse, but also into a person who is more resilient and confident,” said Sofia Billman, Plover, who will be working as a Registered Nurse at the Aspirus Wausau Birthing Center after graduation.
“I learned how to think critically, stay organized and prioritize what matters most in a fast-paced environment. Supportive family, friends, classmates and faculty encouraged me, pushed me and helped me meet every challenge along the way.”
For Mid-State’s pinning ceremony, each graduating student selects a registered nurse who is a family member, friend or faculty member to join them on stage to place the nursing pin on the graduate during the ceremony, welcoming them into the profession of nursing.
“The Mid-State Technical College nursing pinning ceremony is a celebration that signifies the completion of the nursing program, honors the graduates' hard work and officially welcomes them into the nursing profession,” said Kelly Nelson, dean of the School of Nursing. “It's a traditional event marking the transition from student life to a professional career.”
“Helping people has always felt natural to me. I’ve also always loved science and problem-solving, so nursing felt like the perfect place to bring all my strengths together,” Billman added. “Mid-State’s strong reputation and high student success rate made me feel confident that this was the right program for me.”
Some of Mid-State’s fall 2025 Nursing graduates recognized in the December 16 nursing pinning ceremony include:
- Evangeline Brown – Marshfield
- Terri Combs – Wisconsin Rapids
- Tiara Gannon – Wisconsin Rapids
- Karen Gray – Wisconsin Rapids
- Tanya Grundeen – Wisconsin Rapids
- Lilly Hasenohrl – Auburndale
- Katie Houser – Wisconsin Rapids
- Lydia Hughes – Wisconsin Rapids
- Kara Jackson – Loyal
- Mckayla Keuffer – Marshfield
- Rodney Keyzer – Wisconsin Rapids
- Michael Pietsch – Marshfield
- Bryn Ruffalo – Wisconsin Rapids
- Jessie-Rose Scholze – Tomah
- Alexis Severt – Marshfield
- Sabrina Tellez – Marshfield
- Connor Tracy – Wisconsin Rapids
- Hannah Westlund – Marshfield
Learn more about nursing pinning and Mid-State’s Nursing program at mstc.edu/nursing-pinning.
(Photo courtesy of Mid-State Technical College via press release)
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