Nursing School Leaders Salute New Graduates at Mississippi College

Pictured at Spring commencement on May 10, these members of the Class of 2019 at the Mississippi College School of Nursing are all bound for jobs soon at Baptist Hospital in Jackson. They are: Jessica Lang of Florence, Kayla Kellum of Raymond, Breanna Edgeworth of Amory and Madeline Toler of Madison.

A loving Christian environment is what Jenny Wren Lowrey cherishes about Mississippi College’s School of Nursing.

“The faculty cares about each student,” said Lowrey moments after receiving her nursing degree at Friday’s graduation ceremonies at the A.E. Wood Coliseum.

What’s next for the 22-year-old MC nursing graduate? The Utica resident will join the staff of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. She will work at its medical/surgical unit.

Jenny was congratulated by her twin sister, Amber, her parents and friends, like classmate Elizabeth Lofton of Clinton. “I love the medical field,” says Lofton, who goes to work at St. Dominic Hospital’s intensive care unit in Jackson.

New nurses like Jenny and Elizabeth are in big demand. There are presently 3.9 million nurses in the USA. But with Baby Boomers aging and needed increased healthcare services, the demand for nurses will keep growing. Some estimates from a couple of years ago are the demand for nurses will climb by 36 percent by 2020.

Mississippi College Dean Kimberly Sharp spoke at ceremonies to congratulate the new nurses. She says she will continue to keep them in her prayers. Sharp urged the Class of 2019 to continue to keep Christ at the center of their lives as they serve others.

A cross, representing Christian caring and commitment, is superimposed on the MC School of Nursing pin. An image of Provine Chapel is imposed in the center of the pin going to the 65 new graduates.

Tewana Johnson, 38, of Bolton earned her nursing degree from Mississippi College on Friday. And she loved every minute of the experience. “Everybody was so nice and caring,” she said. “They prayed for me when I needed it.”

Johnson starts work in June at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s intensive care unit. She earned her first degree at MC in kinesiology in 2006.

Getting her nursing degree fulfills a longtime dream for Allie Wilson, 22, of Winona. “I felt called my whole life. I love what this school has stood for.”

Wilson soon starts work as a nurse at Baptist Hospital in Jackson.

Classmates like Madison Beall of Birmingham, Alabama will venture out further away. The 2019 nursing graduate will begin her career at Saint Thomas Hospital near Nashville, Tennessee.

President Blake Thompson told the graduates they will all be great representatives of the Blue & Gold family. They will take their critical services to care for people in a world with vast healthcare needs, he said.

Gathering for a post-commencement photo were four new nursing graduates who will all work at Baptist Hospital in Jackson. They are: Jessica Lang of Florence, Kayla Kellum of Raymond Breanna Edgeworth of Amory and Madeline Toler of Madison.

Enrollment at the School of Nursing should keep growing. Dean Sharp noted its first graduate programs begin this Fall.

The MC School of Law commencement got Spring ceremonies kicked off at First Baptist Church Jackson. U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves was the guest speaker. Friday morning. Heavy rains couldn’t keep hundreds of family members and friends away at ceremonies led by Dean Patricia Bennett.

MC graduations continued Friday night and into Saturday. Former Student Government Association President Anthony Jackson of Mound Bayou was the guest speaker.

Less than 24 hours after her twin sister, Jenny, got her diploma, Amber Lowrey, 22, will receive her bachelor’s degree at the Baptist-affiliated university Saturday.

Amber looks forward to her job teaching biology to 9^th graders at Sumner Hill Junior High in Clinton. Lowrey will also assist with the basketball team at the school in MC’s hometown.