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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Women's Health Nurse/Nursing
California State University-Long Beach
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Registered Nurses:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Women's Health Nurse/Nursing
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Left parents in Mexico at 15 y/o to continue my High School education. Moved in with a dear aunt.
2.
Struggled with identifying with new culture 1st year in U.S.-Learned English in less than one year.
3.
I had a mentor/teacher in High School (11th Grade) who motivated me to pursue Nursing.
4.
Got my own place with roommate and started working as a waitress after graduating High School in '03.
5.
Attended Cypress College as a pre-nursing Major-Did only part time-took me five years to transfer.
6.
Transfered to Cal-State University Long Beach in 2008. Got into Nursing Program 2010.
7.
Did my internship semester in women's health-Labor and Delivery, and found passion in the field.
8.
Graduated as a Registered Nurse in May 2013. Now hired and starting my career in November 2013!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Why is it taking you so long to graduate? You are still in school? When do you graduate?
How I responded:
I was fortunate enough to have a good support system of family/friends. The people that asked those questions were people who dropped out of school or did not believe that I would ever finish. I stayed focused on my passion. I was only going part time to school for many years because I needed to work full time in order to afford living expenses. Once in the Nursing program, I took loans from school to work less and focus on my career path. I did not let the negative people stay in my life.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I worked as a waitress and had the flexibility to pick up extra shifts. I was also fortunate to qualify for financial aid.
When my dad passed away, the first thing I said to myself was "I am not quitting nursing school." Even though I was emotionally wrecked, being surrounded by my nursing friends and instructors allowed me to overcome weeks of sadness.
More than a struggle, having 4 older brothers who did not continue an education motivated me to be the first one to obtain a degree. I wanted to make both my mother and father proud. Dad past away in 2012; I still wanted to make him proud.