Dr. Debra Davis, dean of the University of South Alabama College of Nursing, congratulates nursing graduates Amie Lanette Hinton, 25, of Alexandria, Ala., and William Grant Roper, 25, of Highland Home, Ala., for achieving the Spirit of Nursing Award, the college's highest honor. The award is given to those students who exemplify the essence of nursing and the outstanding attributes of a nurse.

Hinton will pursue her nursing career at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital, and Roper will continue his nursing career as an intern at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.