Southern State honors 49 nursing graduates, including five from Adams County

Five Adams County students crossed the stage at Southern State Community College’s nursing pinning ceremony, and their names may matter as much to local employers as to their families. Samantha Allen, Jessica Baker, Phoenix Elliott, Jessica Sowards and Hayleigh Worley were among 49 Associate Degree Nursing graduates honored May 7 at the college’s Central Campus in Hillsboro, giving Adams County just over 10 percent of the class.

The ceremony followed the traditional nursing format. Amberlyn Brethauer of Highland County opened the evening, while Southern State President Dr. Nicole Roades and Director of Nursing Abby Storrs offered greetings. Families were invited on stage to pin the graduates, Marianne Price of Highland County led the candle-lighting portion, the class recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge and Molly McCreary delivered the closing remarks.

For Adams County, the larger story is workforce supply. Southern State’s nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and is designed to be completed in five semesters on a full-time basis. The college offers RN instruction at its Central Campus in Hillsboro, with Practical Nursing available in Hillsboro and Mt. Orab. That makes the program one of the region’s most visible pipelines into hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and home-health work.

In a March 2026 release, Storrs described the college as a “vital workforce pipeline” and said Southern State graduates up to 100 nursing students each year. She said recent cohorts have reached 100% healthcare employment shortly after licensure, many with local hospitals, long-term care facilities and community providers. That is the kind of outcome Adams County health leaders watch closely as they try to keep caregivers close to home.

The 49-member class was also larger than some recent Southern State cohorts. The 2025 ADN class had 33 graduates, and the 2023 class had 42, making this year’s group one of the college’s stronger recent showings. Nationally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5% employment growth for registered nurses from 2024 to 2034, with 166,100 openings expected, a reminder that demand for nurses remains broad even as rural counties work hardest to keep new graduates nearby.