ONEONTA, Ala. – Wallace State Community College’s Department of Nursing Education recently celebrated the success of the first cohort of students completing the Practical Nursing certificate option at the Oneonta campus site, with a white coat ceremony at the Little Brick Church in Oneonta.
The ceremony marks the end of their time on the Oneonta campus and a future that could include starting a career as a practical nurse, continuing their education at the main campus to earn an associate degree or both.
“These students are pioneers,” said Deborah “Pepper” Hoover, chair of the Nursing department. “They have earned their practical nursing certificate and are eligible to take the license practical nurse licensure exam. As an LPN, they can obtain a full-time job and make a difference in the lives of their patients.
Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics reminded the graduates of the history of Wallace State locating in Oneonta and how one man’s dream made their own dreams become a reality.
“You have probably seen his photograph in the lobby of the Academic Center, Mr. Eldridge Bynum, I want you to know who he was,” Dr. Karolewics said. “He had a dream about what education can do to change a life, and that’s why we have an academic and a technical center here in Oneonta, because Mr. Bynum had a dream about what education could mean to Blount County and the surrounding area.”
“I’m going to consider you not only the very first graduating class, but the Eldridge Bynum graduating class,” Dr. Karolewics added, pointing out that the first person hired to teach the nursing classes was Bynum’s grandson, Chris Bynum.
Bynum presided over the ceremony, where students donned a white coat, received a pin and a candle.
“For the past few semesters, we watched you all grow, not just in your knowledge and your skills, but in your passion, your resilience and dedication,” he said. “The white coats you will don today represent much more than the completion of the program. They symbolize the responsibility you are about to take on, the trust you will earn from your patients and the integrity you will carry with you throughout your careers.
“As the inaugural class, you will hold a special place in the history of our institution,” Bynum added. “You have paved the way, set standards and established traditions that future cohorts will follow. Your success is a testament to your hard work, your perseverance through challenges and your commitment to excellence.”
Members of the inaugural nursing class at Oneonta include Samantha Bynum of Oneonta, Bonnie Chasteen of Cleveland, Andriana Doyle of Oneonta, Porsha Foster of Center Point, Annagrace Harper of Anniston, Kierra Jackson of Moody, Brannen Johnson of Gadsden, Cierra Murray of Pinson, Camryn Norman of Odenville, Whitney Sullivan of Pinson, Megan Weaver of Birmingham, Miranda Wells of Oxford, and Shelby Wilkinson of Trussville.
Wallace State Nursing student Porsha Foster, right, is pinned by instructor Jessica Standridge during a ceremony celebrating the first cohort of nursing students at the Wallace State Oneonta site.
Foster, Chasteen among first Oneonta Nursing cohort
For students like Porsha Foster of the Clay/Trussville area and Bonnie Chasteen of Oneonta, the opportunity to take nursing classes at the Oneonta Academic Center was invaluable.
Foster is a wife and mother of five children ages 14 to 22 who has worked in the healthcare field for more than 20 years. During that entire time, she worked in the emergency room of labor and delivery for UAB, where she is a Patient Care Technician at UAB Women’s and Infant Center. She started working at age 18 and was a runner, physically carrying items to and from the lab and transporting patients.
It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Foster thought about going back to school to become a nurse.
“I felt like I couldn’t do enough to help the nurses on our unit because at that moment, everything was uncertain and we didn’t know what we were going into,” she said.
As the number of patients increased and the nurses were stretched thin taking care of multiple patients and in patient’s rooms for longer times, Foster said she felt like she needed to do more.
“I thought I need to go back to school, I need to do this, and I need to help my unit,” Foster said.
She then learned about the nursing classes to be offered at Wallace State’s Oneonta Academic Center, which is about 20 minutes closer to her than the Hanceville campus, and decided the time was right. Another incentive was the Nursing Workforce Initiative (NWI) between UAB and Wallace State. The NWI provides funding from UAB for its employees who wish to earn a certificate or degree in nursing from Wallace State.
Foster said the support she received from UAB and her coworkers was amazing, as was the support from her instructors at Wallace State.
“I can’t thank them enough,” she said of UAB and her coworkers, who made sure she didn’t fall behind on her studies and made sure she had time to study for tests. “To have that support is definitely amazing and I’m appreciative.”
“And Wallace State has the best staff,” she added. “The instructors, they are amazing. I don’t know that the nursing students that are coming into Oneonta know just what they have. This is special. This is tight knit. They know you. They know your name. They know your story. They push you. This was just the most amazing hands-on experience, and I thank God that I was chosen for this.”
Foster is taking nursing classes at the Hanceville campus for the next two semesters to complete her associate degree in Nursing. She said she will transition to be an LPN in her unit and after completing her associate degree will transition to an RN and help deliver babies.
Wallace State Nursing student Bonnie Chasteen, left, receives a candle from instructor Alicia Standridge during a ceremony celebrating the first cohort of nursing students at the Wallace State Oneonta site.
Chasteen earned a degree in Biology from Jacksonville State University before deciding to enroll in Nursing at Wallace State’s Oneonta site, a 10-minute drive from home.
She said the shorter travel time took away a lot of stress she might have normally had. “The extra 20 minutes even can make a difference,” she said.
Chasteen, who served as her class representative, said the classes at Oneonta were different than she expected them to be, but in a good way.
“The small class sizes are what I will preach bout to anybody,” she said. “You get so much one on one time, especially in the clinical hours and skills labs, which I can appreciate a lot.”
Like Foster, Chasteen is continuing her education at the Hanceville campus to complete the associate degree. She then plans to go on and become a nurse practitioner with hopes of opening her own practice.
“For now, I think I’ll start with critical care nurse and see where we can go from there,” she said.
Wallace State’s Department of Nursing Education has twice been recognized as a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing. The program offers the traditional ADN pathway, that includes the Practical Nursing certificate after successful completion of the first three semesters, which can be taken at Oneonta campus and day and evening options at the Hanceville campus. A mobility option allows certain certified health care professionals the ability to earn an associate degree in Nursing. Two joint enrollment options offer students pathways to concurrently earn an associate from Wallace State and bachelor’s degree from either UAB or Athens State University.
Applications are currently being accepted for Spring 2025 entry. Visit www.wallaceststate.edu/nursing, call 256-352-8199 or email nursingapplicant@wallacestate.edu.
