Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Class of 2023 Co-valedictorian.
The best thing about 榆树大学 is how small it is.
I was accepted into every nursing program I applied to. There were 11 of them. What it came down to for me in choosing 榆树大学 was the size of the nursing program and that classes would be smaller. I knew going into it that nursing classes would be difficult but I wanted my professors to know me, and I wanted to have a close group of friends that I could study with. Smaller was what I wanted. My final two choices were Elms and another school that was much bigger. And what made me want to come to Elms was its size. It also helped that I could commute to Elms. It’s only 5 minutes from my house, so I could commute and save money.
I was very nervous at first but it has turned out so much better than I expected. At Elms, you really do get to know everyone. You’re with the same people for four years. You get close to your professors. They know your name, they know who you are, and they know how hard you work. That is important to me.
If you like a small, tight community, you should come to 榆树大学. This is the place to go. You’ll get to know everybody, you will feel welcome, and you’ll feel accepted. I never felt judged here – ever. I’m very comfortable reaching out to any resource I need. 这里的员工很棒. It’s just a welcoming and inspiring community.
I didn’t set out to be class valedictorian but I’ve always been a perfectionist. I was near the top of my high school class, so I just kind of carried that with me into college. I’ve always considered any grade below a 95 to be failing. So all through college, I pushed myself to limits that I probably shouldn’t have. I neglected so many things in my life to stay up late and study. 我投入了很多. 我学了很多, every waking hour was spent on my homework or I was always in the library studying. As they say, the more you put into something, the more you get out of it.
I knew the nursing program was hard but it was harder than I expected. They get you so prepared for the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) that you need to pass to work as a nurse in 麻萨诸塞州. They get you prepared for your clinical trials. They prepared me so much with the skills and simulation lab in the Lyons Center. I was so nervous before but those simulations prepared me more than anything. It’s hard to think of those simulated patients as human but once you do, it’s scary. But they helped me a lot.
People ask why nursing. I’ve wanted to be a nurse since I was a child. I was a patient at Baystate Children’s Hospital as a kid. And I remember one of my nurses was so nice. I was so scared and she helped me through one of the scariest moments in my life. Ever since I was 12, I’ve wanted to be a nurse and work at a children’s hospital. Since then I’ve been working full force toward that goal for more than a decade.
Right after graduation, I’ll be working at the pediatric intensive care unit at Baystate Medical Center. That type of nursing can really sad and scary, but I’m ready. For the last two years of college, I’ve been working with children. Now I’m ready and excited to start my career. I may go back to school later for a graduate degree but for now, I want to be a nurse.