Conemaugh School of Nursing graduates 21 students; honors former CNO after 46-year nursing career.

Conemaugh Health System is proud to announce the commencement of the class of 2025 from the highly regarded Conemaugh School of Nursing and Allied Health Programs. 

Under the esteemed direction of Kimberly Ferry, MSN, RN, CNE, NPD-BC, who assumed the leadership role in 2023, the Conemaugh School of Nursing graduation ceremony was held on Thursday, June 26 at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Johnstown. This year’s ceremony marked the school’s 129th graduation in which 21 students crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. 

Addressing the graduates, their families, and distinguished guests, Ferry applauded the accomplishments of the next generation of healthcare providers and their commitment to providing excellent patient care. 

“We are profoundly proud of you. You have endured rigorous coursework, long clinical hours, and personal sacrifices. You have grown academically, professionally, and personally, and you have done so with grace, integrity, and compassion. Each of you embodies the very best of what it means to be a nurse.” 

“As the Class of 2025 steps into the nursing profession, they do so at a time when the world is calling for healing, advocacy, and leadership. And I have every confidence that each of you is ready to answer that call.” 

The graduation ceremony featured keynote speaker, Kristen “Kris” O’Shea, Emeritus Market Chief Nursing Officer of Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center. Kris proudly retired from a 46-year career in nursing and nursing administration at the conclusion of the ceremony. She served as a Chief Nursing Officer at Conemaugh Health System since 2023 after an astounding 32-year career at WellSpan Health in York, Pennsylvania. 

“As I look back on my journey as a nurse, I am reminded of the myriad of experiences that have shaped my career and the profound sense of purpose that has driven me,” said O’Shea. “This I know, the nursing profession is unique in its capacity to touch lives, heal, and bring comfort in the most challenging times. It is a calling that demands unwavering commitment, empathy, and resilience.” 

Kris holds a BSN from the University of Pittsburgh and an MSN from the University of Maryland. She has authored several articles and published a book in 2002 titled Staff Development Nursing Secrets. 

“As I enter my retirement, I am filled with gratitude for the incredible journey that nursing has afforded me. It has been a privilege to serve, lead, and witness remarkable progress in our field. And I now symbolically will be passing the torch to each of these graduates.” 

A devoted advocate for nurses and nursing students, Kris held the tremendous honor of supporting the class of 2025 from their first day of orientation until their graduation. 

“I came out of retirement to be here in Johnstown for a few years. I started when these students began their education and will exit just as they launch their careers, so this class is very special to me, and I am profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to speak in front of them.” 

19 graduates have received and accepted job offers in the area. Of the 19, 18 have accepted positions at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center; 2 graduates are currently interviewing within Conemaugh Health System. 

• Emma Balliet – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA   

• Shelby Beaucage – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Lillian Brown – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Teressa Chestney – Fresenius Kidney Care, Latrobe, PA 

• Lexyn Corle – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Cecelia Corradini – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Rylee Griffin – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Ashley Harris – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Jeffrey Hewitt – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Laikyn Hillegass – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Kalie Lysic – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Nola McGrath – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Lynette McMullen – Applied to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Kayleigh Mikolich – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Bobbi Pierce – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Kelsey Shedlock – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Connor Singo – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Jerzy Vinglish – Applied to Conemaugh Miners Medical Center, Hastings, PA 

• Emily Weyer – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Heather Wiest – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

• Leah Wirfel – Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown PA 

To celebrate their extraordinary accomplishments, faculty and staff hosted a luncheon celebration on Wednesday, June 25, to honor the students and present annual awards commending their outstanding academic success, leadership, and service, for the duration of their education. 

• The Meyer and Sally Bloom Class Valedictorian Award: Emily Weyer 

• The Elaine E. Behe and William L. Hughes Class Salutatorian Award: Emma Balliet 

• Conemaugh School of Nursing Outstanding Student Nurse Award: Lynette McMullen 

• The Evelyn Frye, RN/Boyd Lingenfelter Humanitarian Award: Cecelia Corradini 

• The Karen Walker Stringent, RN Communication and Health Teaching Award: Cecelia Corradini 

• Margaret Nestor, RN Student Service Award: Emily Weyer 

• The Sally Jordan Nursing Leadership and Management Award: Lynette McMullen 

• The Conemaugh School of Nursing Spirit of the Pink Cross Award: Emily Weyer 

Additionally, several students were awarded honors recognition for their exemplary academic success: 

High Honors: 

• Emily Weyer 

• Emma Balliet 

Honors: 

• Lynette McMullen 

• Lillian Brown 

• Lexyn Corle 

• Shelby Beaucage 

• Cecelia Corradini 

• Connor Singo 

At the commencement ceremony, each graduate is pinned with the Conemaugh School of Nursing Pink Cross symbolizing their graduation from the program. Designed by Jessie L. Green, Class of 1898, the pin is a testament to the American Red Cross of which was founded by Clara Barton in 1881. The cross, remaining largely unchanged since its original debut, bears the established year of the Conemaugh School of Nursing and symbolizes the significant accomplishment made by each graduate. 

Additionally, the Conemaugh School of Nursing implemented the Honorary Pink Cross award in 2024 recognizing members of Conemaugh Health System for their profound commitment to furthering opportunities for students, their advocacy for education, and their devotion to supporting the school of nursing. The 2025 Honorary Pink Cross recipients were Sonya Horsley, Instructor at the Conemaugh School of Nursing, and Rodney Reider, CEO and Market President of Conemaugh Health System. 

Conemaugh School of Nursing and Allied Health Programs has played a pivotal role in healthcare for our community since its inception in 1896. The need arose just 7 years after Clara Barton established the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital, presently known as Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, following the Great Johnstown Flood in 1889. In February of 1896, the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital School of Nursing admitted its first class of six female students, becoming one of only 35 nursing schools in the United States at the time. The Conemaugh School of Nursing has since graduated 4,287 nurses, including the class of 2025, over its 129 years of academic excellence. The Conemaugh School of Nursing has been on the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing’s approved schools list since its first compilation in 1918. For more information about the Conemaugh School of Nursing, visit Conemaugh.org.