“This is a time to reflect on the last four years, or two years, or six years…and more than reflecting upon your accomplishments, I hope you will reflect upon the person you have become,” Averett President Dr. Tiffany Franks told the soon-to-be graduating class of 2017-18.

Franks opened the Senior Pinning ceremony in Pritchett Auditorium by telling students, parents, faculty and staff in the audience what a “revered occasion” this tradition is, and reminded them that this is a chance to share a special moment with the ones they hold most dear.

The Senior Pinning Ceremony is held each fall for the graduates who will walk across the stage in December or May of that school year. Each student gets to choose who they want up on stage to pin them with the Averett pin – a highly respected symbol of their time here at Averett.

Heather Johnston, an elementary education major, was pinned by her professor, Dr. Pamela Riedel, education.

“I’m very excited to have a professor that I think highly of pin me because she’s molded me into the teacher I want to become. It has been a long journey but it has been fast,” said Johnston. “There have been a lot of assignments and work along the way, but I can see my future ahead of me now.”

“You have learned endurance and determination. You have learned how to overcome adversity and how to persevere. You have learned to take risks as individuals, and how to work as a team. You have learned the value of hard work, courage and drive – all traits that lead to success regardless of the challenge,” said Franks. “Thank you for all the ways during your years with Averett, you have engaged in the community. You have distinguished yourselves with a passionate concern for helping others.”

More than 150 seniors walked across the stage to be pinned, and in a sense of preparation for when they walk across the graduation stage come later this year.

“Going into it four years ago, I did believe that I would graduate. However, my experience here at Averett has been unlike what I expected. I have learned a lot that you can’t learn in a book or online and had a lot of great hands-on experiences,” said Johnston. “Becoming a teacher is a lot different than what people think it is. I’m really looking forward to student-teaching this spring. I’ve learned all that I need to know to apply it and now I’m excited to see what it’s like in the classroom when I start to shape young minds and be around the students.”