Amanda Gibson of Vicksburg celebrated her Dec. 10 graduation from Hinds Community with her splashy red boots for the walk across the stage.
Gibson, 41, had been a Licensed Practical Nurse for 16 years and decided to take the next step, so to speak, to earn an Association Degree in Nursing.
“I just decided to do more. I love what I do – being able to help others when they can’t help themselves. Sometimes we’re the only people patients see,” she said.
Gibson was among more than 900 students earning nearly 1,300 credentials at the first of four ceremonies on Dec. 10 and 11 at the Muse Center on the Rankin Campus.
Among the graduates, 466 students are graduating with honors, including 239 cum laude, or 3.2 to 3.59 grade point average; 166 magna cum laude, or 3.6-3.99 GPA and 63 summa cum laude, a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Speaking were Ameshia Bacon-Ivy, 29, of Camden and Sarah Coolman, 25, of Richland. Bacon-Ivy is earning her Licensed Practical Nursing certification. She plans to continue her education to become a Registered Nurse and will be working at the Madison Rehabilitation Center.
Coolman is a Louisiana native who currently lives in Richland. She is earning an Associate Degree in Nursing. In February she will be working at St. Dominic Medical Center’s Neuro ICU. She will return to Hinds to complete her prerequisites for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
“On the rougher days of nursing school, this verse helped cement that there was a plan for us. Each of us came to Hinds with a story. Some came straight from high school; others returned after years away; or some like me, started with getting our GED,” Coolman said.
Many balanced jobs, families, and life’s responsibilities, but all of us shared one goal — to graduate. No matter where we started, we faced moments of doubt and exhaustion. Yet we kept going. We showed up to class, had some late night clinicals, and pushed through nights when it felt impossible. Together, we learned that success in college isn’t about perfection — it’s about perseverance, teamwork, and heart,” she said.
