Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society Recognizes 26 New Members
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Celebrating academic success, professionalism, and leadership, a total of 26 new members – a mix of students and community nurse leaders – were inducted into the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Eta Omicron Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (SIGMA), an elite nursing honor society. The induction ceremony was held Dec. 12 in the Performing Arts Center.
In recognition of their dedication to the field and academic integrity, each inductee received a lavender and white honorary cord, along with an inductee ribbon from Eta Omicron Chapter officers. During the fall 2019 commencement ceremony, twenty inductees – including Destiny Leigh Pratt – will receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and four inductees will receive a Master of Science in Nursing.
“It’s very rewarding and a little surreal thinking about getting into this awesome organization where I’m standing alongside likeminded nurses who are very driven and focused on providing the best patient care we can,” Pratt said. “When we study, especially in nursing school, we think of our patients first, the grades that come along are secondary.”
After walking the commencement stage, Pratt will be stationed in an emergency room trauma facility in Houston and aims to return to school to become an acute care nurse practitioner.
“The profession of nursing is so rewarding,” Pratt said. “The process of getting here and the different obstacles that myself and my cohort members have had to endure throughout the program leads to this huge graduation experience. We’re all super excited to graduate.”
Dr. Laura Monahan, Interim Department Chair of the Women, Children, and Family Health Sciences Department, Associate Professor of Nursing, and Apple Teacher in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, was the keynote speaker.
“Nursing is the scaffolding that holds healthcare together,” said Monahan, OFS, DNP, MBA, RN. “We are with people in their most vulnerable times, their most joyful times, and their saddest times. We are the conduit to help them in all their transitions – when they enter the world, exit, and the gamut in-between.”
During her speech, she emphasized the importance of staying passionate about healthcare and being open to opportunities.
“You don’t know where nursing is going to take you,” Monahan said. “It’s not just nurses at the bedside anymore. They’re in politics, planning and development, and out in communities and other realms. It’s important for nurses to realize the far-reaching effects they can have.”
