KC Therapeutic Massage holds pinning ceremony

Kishwaukee College Therapeutic Massage graduates participated in the traditional pinning ceremony on Saturday, August 29 at the College.

Kishwaukee College Therapeutic Massage graduates participated in a traditional pinning ceremony on Saturday, August 29, in Jenkins Auditorium in the Kishwaukee College Conference Center. The graduates are: Katherina Melissa Blechschmidt, Waterman; Kaylin R. Carter, Rochelle; Tracey Horner Gabriel, Rochelle; Brianna Colleen Hooker, DeKalb; Larisssa Ann Peterson Hanson, Dixo; Jami Lynne Thompson, Roscoe; and Delinda Jane Velichkoff, Sycamore.

The tradition of pinning healthcare graduates originates with the nursing profession in 1860 when Florence Nightingale presented a lapel pin to her best students. Over the years, other healthcare professions have added the practice to their graduation traditions to symbolize an official initiation into the students’ chosen healthcare profession.

At the Kishwaukee College Therapeutic Massage (TPM) pinning, each graduate was pinned individually by a friend or family member who had supported the student or acted as a mentor. The graduates also enjoyed addresses by Leslie Ciaccio, Coordinator of the Complementary Health Programs at Kishwaukee College; Lisa Bogdonas, TPM Instructor; and Delinda Velichkoff, student speaker. The graduates and their families and friends also enjoyed a short video, created by Ben Pluta, son of a TPM alumnus,that recapped their progress through the program. Graduates, family and friends enjoyed a light luncheon after the ceremony.

For more information on the Therapeutic Massage Program at Kishwaukee College, contact Leslie Ciaccio at 815-825-2086, ext. 2590 or at leslie.ciaccio@kishwaukeecollege.edu; for more information on Kishwaukee College, visit www.kishwaukeecollege.edu.