Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - Seventy future nurses were celebrated at a special pre-commencement ceremony at West Texas A&M University.

WT's Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing's annual pinning ceremony-held at 10 a.m. May 15 at Oasis Southwest Baptist Church in Amarillo-recognized 70 students who graduated during a commencement ceremony held later that afternoon.

Pinning ceremonies are an opportunity to recognize the students' hard work and dedication in their clinicals and in classwork, marking the transition from student to nurse, said Laura Reyher, director of the Street School of Nursing and WT's Laura and Joe Street Professor of Nursing.

"Today we recognize the hard work, compassion, and determination it took for these students to reach this milestone," said Dr. Collette Loftin, department head and WT's Nancy and John Kritser Professor of Nursing. "The pinning ceremony honors their journey to graduate and succeed while carrying forward the values of nursing at WT."

Of the 70 graduates, 86 percent plan to work in Amarillo or the Panhandle region.

May 2026 graduates in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program who were pinned are (with hometowns) Delillah Adeyemi King, Lagos, Nigeria; Madalyn Allen, Maricopa, Arizona; Ivonne Alvarado, Dimmitt; Sebastian Alvarado, Amarillo; Tilly Avalos, Comfort; Alfredo Avila, Hereford; Rebekah Bagley, Amarillo; Kaitlyn Biggers, Amarillo; Melina Bustos, Lubbock; Cambri Carrasco, Amarillo; Emma Casey, Hereford; Julissa Castro, Plainview; Madeline Cates, Amarillo; Maclin Culwell, Canyon; Taylor Danley, Houston; Marysa DeAnda, Amarillo; Tyra Diaz, Amarillo; Kylie Dickson, Amarillo; Anna Estrada, Borger; Nelly Estrada, Amarillo; Bryana Gallagher, Clovis; Brenda Garcia, Vernon; Corrin Garcia, Plainview; Yerelin Garcia, Gruver; Gabriela Gomez, Wiley, Colorado; Hannah Green, Dumas; Makenzie Green, Amarillo; Kross Hiatt, Canyon; Zainab Khadeeja, Amarillo; and Chelsea Lewis, Amarillo.

Also, Wendy Martinez, Amarillo; Kira McCracken, Houston; Lance Meissenburg, Amarillo; Madison Merrill, Amarillo; Raven Milburn, Amarillo; Paige Minchew, Lindale; Joshua Mirabal, Fort Worth; Analeise Montemayor, Amarillo; Bailey Murray, Vail, Colorado; Chelsie Nevarez, Amarillo; Katlyn Ocanas, Lubbock; Bailey Odom, Amarillo; Victoria Okonkwo, Lagos, Nigeria; Brian Okoye, Sachse; Bryson Osborne, Pampa; Leslie Ovalle, Amarillo; Brylee Pederson, Amarillo; Aden Pizana, Amarillo; and Sherry Powell, Belton.

Also, Athena Rainey, Amarillo; Adam Ramos, Tulia; Caroline Ramos, Ropesville; Keja Reed, Amarillo; Jordan Riley, Lewisville; Erica Rivas, Amarillo; Ryleigh Robertson, Amarillo; Katelyn Ruiz, Vega; Brianna Salazar, Plainview; Kyla Sellers, Conroe; Lucia Solis, Amarillo; Madison Stady, Dalhart; Grace Stocker, Canyon; Avery Stout, Dalhart; Jaclyn Tijerina, Plainview; Emily Torres, Dallas; Collin Treadwell, Canyon; Sidney Turner, Stratford; Luna Vazquez, Amarillo; Graci Veazey, Panhandle; and Breagan Winchester, Guymon, Oklahoma.

Spring commencement ceremonies were held May 15 and 16 in the First United Bank Center on the Canyon campus.

Established in 1972 and graduating its first students in 1974, WT's Street School of Nursing currently provides about 70 percent of nurses employed throughout the Texas Panhandle.

WT nursing graduates, over the past five years, have averaged a 92 percent score on the National Council Licensure Examination, required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to test the competency of nursing school graduates in the United States and Canada. Nationally, the average is 86 percent; in Texas, it's 89 percent.

Educating nurses is a key component of WT's mission to address regional challenges, as set out in the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised more than $200 million dollars, the largest such campaign in Texas Panhandle history.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

Photo: Collin Treadwell, right, is pinned by fellow nurse and 2025 West Texas A&M University graduate Wyatt Dressler during a pinning ceremony for the spring 2026 graduates from WT's Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing. Austin Wiseman, WT's NWTH Health System / Eunice King Professorship of Nursing, looks on.

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