UIndy’s Will Loggan ’22 (Sport Management) celebrates his father, Paul Loggan ’85—a beloved athletic director for North Central HS, a dedicated husband and father, and a member of UIndy’s athletic Hall of Fame. We lost Paul to COVID in early April and Will was brave enough to share his story.
Read up on the role you can play in PROTECTING OUR PACK and UIndy’s Road to Re-engagement.
Fresh produce from the University of Indianapolis community gardens
This summer UIndy students worked hard to nurture the community garden, as it played a critical role in helping the surrounding neighborhoods stay food-secure during the pandemic. Bronwyn Getts ‘23 (public health education & promotion) and Gavin Craig ‘20 (music) handled daily tasks like watering, weeding and pest control.
“The most fulfilling part of the garden is knowing that the seeds we put into the ground have grown into nutritious foods that feed members of the community in need,” Getts said. “This year we distributed over 500 pounds of produce to the Light of the World Church and the Villa Baptist Church, both of which had community food programs.”
The community gardens were launched in 2017 with the goal of bringing access to fresh produce to the surrounding neighborhood. The project is part of an ongoing partnership between the University of Indianapolis and Community Health Network to provide health- and wellness-related opportunities to the Indianapolis southside. SoIndy has played an important role in the partnership, along with Community Hospital South and Purdue Extension.
Interdisciplinary collaborations are a key part of the project’s success. Last August, UIndy Social Practice Art students activated the gardens for a class project. During the past two years, garden interns have represented majors from across campus, including public health, environmental science, psychology and music. Gurinder Hohl, University of Indianapolis and Community Health Network partnership director, and Kevin McKelvey, professor of English and director of the Social Practice Art Program, are advisors for the community gardens.
McKelvey is proud of the garden’s progress. “We’ve been working the last year or two to improve the soil health and add infrastructure like drip-line irrigation, and now we’re seeing the results of that,” he said. “What were originally plans and proposals are now a reality with over 200 pounds of fresh produce each week that we deliver to Villa Baptist Church Food Pantry in the Bean Creek neighborhood. That weekly total includes almost 140 pounds of tomatoes, 40 pounds of cucumbers, and over 10 pounds each of onions and green beans, as well as radishes, beets, and peppers.”
McKelvey views the Community Garden as a learning lab, just like you’ll find all across campus. “The student interns and volunteers can use the information that they’re learning well into the future.”
The garden will continue to be worked this fall until the first frost, usually sometime in October, with harvests going to the food pantry at Villa Baptist Church, working in conjunction with associate professor of nursing Toni Morris’s Promoting Healthy Communities course.
“Many people started gardening during the pandemic, and this only underscores the need for fresh, local produce available to anyone,” McKelvey said. “We’ll continue with this work even when everything returns to normal.”
“Gardens like ours are important because they allow the university’s students to work within their community and see how they can make an impact for those who need a little assistance sometimes,” Getts said. “It builds compassion and a sense of pride in the labor we do all summer while benefiting those in need.”
“This garden has genuinely changed the way I see the world, my community, and myself.”
Shayla Pyszka
Honoring a commitment to its highly sought-after internship program, OneAmerica Financial Partners welcomed 18 college students this summer, including Shayla Pyszka ‘21 (information systems, applied analytics), for key support roles to drive business objectives.
She spent the summer working in information technology as an IT analyst. By concentrating on the web and applications side, she spent the bulk of her time focusing on a mobile project by creating an app. While this isn’t her first internship, she’s excited to intern at OneAmerica and be in an area closely aligned with her career aspirations.
“I enjoyed having a ‘real-world’ work structure and networking with those in the field I’m going to pursue,” Pyszka said. “When I interviewed, everyone made me feel comfortable. The friendliness and culture of the company drew me here.”
Pyszka is active in student and business groups in Indianapolis. She’s the president of the Student Business Leadership Academy and is in the data analytics club at the University of Indianapolis. She is a graduate of LaSalle-Peru Township High School.
Interns worked a 12-week assignment providing support to departments such as actuarial, commercial mortgage, finance, IT, human resources, and marketing. Pyszka and the rest of her cohort worked virtually but interactively, collaborating on critical operations and community projects, expanding their work experience and relationship-building skills.
“Our summer intern program has historically been a robust and immersive experience, as we align the financial services industry’s next best and brightest into our workforce,” said Karin Sarratt, executive vice president. “This year is no different. Our remote work environment will make their opportunity unique, but make no mistake, they will be helping us move toward reaching our business goals and filling our talent pipeline.”
Mark Snodgrass ‘00 (elementary education) received one of 10 Amazon “Future Engineer Teacher of the Year” awards and was the only award recipient from Indiana.
“I am overwhelmed with joy and humbled that a company such as Amazon has recognized my love of teaching and my students need to access technology,” Snodgrass said.
Snodgrass was chosen among thousands of applicants and was among the first recipients to ever receive the award, which contained a prize package valued at more than $50,000. The grant will provide improved technology to his students at Southport High School.
A School of Education alum, Snodgrass continues to support the program as a guest speaker and by bringing his students to demonstrate their work. He says UIndy’s School of Education has been “the best decision I could have made.”
“The real-life experiences in the classroom, the professors understanding that their students will grow from mistakes, as well as the friendships and support from professors even after graduation, helped to make me the teacher I am,” he added.
With relationships on campus that span decades, Snodgrass has also found support through the R.B. Annis School of Engineering at UIndy.
“The department has been a great support for my classroom, my engineering teams, and Southport High School Engineering,” he said. “I am so blessed to work with professors like Dr. Steffel, Dr. Pennell, and Dr. Talaga. I am forever grateful for their guidance and wisdom and for being awarded this honor by Amazon. Go Hounds!”
Despite interruptions in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Greyhounds will be working with the Burmese American Community Institute (BACI) again this semester.
About 20 UIndy students will engage with BACI’s Upward College Program once a week throughout the semester to provide homework help, SAT prep, college and scholarship application assistance, and mentoring to local high school students.
The BACI afterschool program will have a hybrid format this fall at two Indianapolis high schools, and UIndy students can choose between virtual and in-person opportunities. In addition to their weekly service, students will complete an inquiry project using an action research framework that they implement during the program.
The project launched in fall 2019 through UIndy School of Education’s SCED 103: Teaching and Learning in Today’s Classroom.
“Students who take this course are interested in becoming secondary teachers, so this experience allows them to get hands-on experience working with teenagers in a variety of academic ways,” said Assistant Professor Katrina Reinhardt, who teaches the class. “Through their service and reflections, students are able to make connections between what it is like to support teens in an afterschool program and how the skills gained will translate into their future classrooms.”
Reinhardt says that by working with a population that is culturally and linguistically different from their own (for most), UIndy students can better understand the challenges and benefits of having a diverse set of students in their future classrooms.
UIndy students complete 215,000+ service hours annually. Learn more about “Education for Service” at UIndy
When Dr. John Berners, professor of music, heard about the passing of Christel DeHaan he knew he wanted to honor her in some way. It is impossible to walk through the University of Indianapolis without seeing the impact DeHaan had on the campus – from the beautification of Smith Mall, the creation of programs and scholarship opportunities inside the School of Education, the Center for Aging & Community, support for the creation of the Indianapolis Quartet, scholarships for students from Christel House Academy to attend UIndy, and of course the Fine Arts Center that bears her name. “We in the music department hear Ms. DeHaan’s name every day,” Berners said.
DeHaan was a true renaissance woman, her work and impact touching many different areas. She was a University of Indianapolis Board of Trustees member, and Board Chair, from 1990 to 2008. “She is famous in Indianapolis for her support of the arts,” Berners said. “But reaching far beyond that, she was also a global leader in education and anti-poverty initiatives like Christel House.”
In creating his tribute, Berners first selected a poem which he would eventually set to an original music composition. He chose “Wandrers Nachtlied,” written by the famous German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Berners chose a German poem because of Ms. DeHaan’s German roots and the strong German classical music tradition which includes composers like Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. “We can see from her support that classical music was highly valued by Ms. DeHaan, so I liked the idea of trying to set a German poem to music in that same vein,” Berners said. “The poem is so beautiful and contemplative, about peace descending over the mountains in the evening, that it seemed to me appropriate.”
Berners enlisted the help of two Global Languages and Cross-Cultural Studies faculty members, Drs. Gerburg Garmann and Paul Levesque, to make sure that they agreed the poem would be an appropriate selection. “I wondered if the poem was overused and might be considered cliché, but I was relieved they felt it was fine,” Berners said. “I also asked them about the rhythm of German pronunciation in one spot, and about an unusual poetic form of a word that Goethe used.”
Once he settled on the poem, Berners went to work creating an original composition to set the poem to. After it had been written, he had more help from UIndy faculty and alumni in bringing the tribute to life. Dr. Daniel Narducci, adjunct music faculty, sang accompanied by his son, Nicolas Narducci, on the piano. In another recording, UIndy alumni Dakota Miller ’13, mezzo-soprano, and Matthew Bridgham ’13, piano, performed the tribute.
“I was inspired to write the song for Ms. DeHaan because I had met her when I wrote some music for the 20th anniversary of the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, she was funny and easygoing and I enjoyed our talk,” Berners said.
Given the far reach of Christel DeHaan’s impact, it is only fitting that so many people— across disciplines— were willing to aid in the composition of this tribute, from idea to execution. Please enjoy the recordings below:
Video featuring Dakota Miller and Matthew Bridgham:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-yQujcdxWE
Antonio Toliver ’23 is a resident assistant for the new Umoja Scholars living-learning community at UIndy. He’s also responsible for bringing the Black Male Initiative to campus.
Learn more about him and the work he’s doing to support fellow Hounds:
What are you studying and what extracurriculars have you been involved with at UIndy?
I’m a social work and religion double major, with a minor in entrepreneurship and concentrations in clinical and counseling studies and pre-theology. I was part of College Mentors for Kids. I am currently leading the Black Male Initiative (BMI) at UIndy. I am the person who decided that it was very needed at this school and found ways to make it happen. I am also a member of the Black Student Association (BSA). I am the Secretary for the Entrepreneurship Club (E-club). Outside of the University, I am the Youth Director at the Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church.
What motivated you to bring the Black Male Initiative to campus?
There were quite a few reasons why I was motivated to bring this organization to the University of Indianapolis. Before transferring here from Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma, I was part of the Black Male Initiative (BMI) there and I was the President of an organization called “Brothers and Sisters in Action.” I led the Black Male Summit there and coordinated the meetings for BMI.
So, moving back to Indianapolis and attending the University of Indianapolis, I immediately wanted to find out if this organization was active on campus so I could be a part and possibly bring the Black Male Summit here. I soon realized that BMI did not exist, and a lot of people had never heard of a “Black Male Summit.” I looked at the opportunity as if it was a sign from God and it was my responsibility to do whatever it took to help my fellow brothers and peers. I looked at the retention rates for Black males and Black students and realized that this organization would be very beneficial for the overall betterment of the University. The University had Project Regalia, which is for the Black women on campus, but there wasn’t anything for Black males. My goal is to be the voice for the voiceless and to help those who look like me at any given time.
What activities will be happening in the upcoming academic year and how can people get involved with BMI?
Our goal will be to stay consistent with checking on our fellow black males at the university. During this time that will be very important. Another goal of this organization will be to increase retention rates, so the academic aspect will be very important. We will do virtual grade checks if it is not possible in-person. We will host as many virtual events and in-person events as we can. Black Male Initiative will also create spaces for Black men to be safe and vulnerable to discuss anything they would like to discuss. Although this is an organization for Black male students, I want to emphasize that you do not have to be Black or a male to support this organization.
If you’re interested in getting involved, contact me via email (atoliver@uindy.edu) and/or social media (@uindy_bmi on Instagram). We will be at Welcome Week to kick off the fall semester and we will also have some type of informational event so people can get involved.
Why did you want to be an RA for the new Umoja Scholars living-learning community?
I wanted to be an RA for this new living-learning community because it’s right up my alley. It fits into my passion. It’s brand new and it is another way for me to help those who look like me the best way I can. It will not only be a learning experience and a chance for growth for the incoming freshmen, but also for me. I hope to gain more knowledge on how to assess the needs of others, leadership development, and mentor development.
What kinds of programming do you have planned for Umoja Scholars during the upcoming academic year?
There will be programs on topics surrounding the climate in which we live: personal hygiene, mental health; things of that nature. The Umoja community is very important because too many times are people of color left in the shadows and not given the proper opportunities that others are given. This community will allow those who are a part of the community to not get lost during their freshman year, feeling alone and helpless. This community is important and much needed. Community in general is important. It is always good to have support, but it is a different feeling when you have support from people that have experienced similar things to you or look like you.
Do you have any mentors on campus? If so, who are they and how have they helped you?
I consider Dr. Amber Smith (Vice President & Chief Inclusion and Equity Officer) and Andre Givens (Director of Undergraduate & Adult Enterprise and Engagement in the School of Business) to be my mentors. They have helped out a lot with guiding me during my time here thus far. They have helped me to find many different resources and ways to get the Black Male Initiative started, and also helped me be a part of a lot of different things that will make our university better.
2020 has been full of challenges – what motivates you to keep pushing forward?
Failure is not an option for me. Although I have been dealing with quite a lot in 2020 and have been hit on all sides, I can say that I am pressing toward the mark. I am a Christian and I strongly believe that my faith has kept me and continues to keep me during these difficult times.
What would you like to do following graduation?
Following graduation, I will continue my education with my master’s degree and then Doctorate. My goal is to have my own Family Practice counseling families and focusing on the youth. Mental health is very taboo in the African American community and I want to dismantle the stereotypes and make it more accepting. I have a lot that I want to do but just stay tuned.
How are your experiences at UIndy helping you prepare for the next steps in your career?
I feel my experiences are making me more resilient and are teaching me life lessons and giving me the tools I will be able to use in the future to help others.
What advice do you have for incoming freshmen?
My advice to freshmen would be to get involved. Don’t overwhelm yourself, but definitely get involved. It is said that being involved helps you to maintain and do great during your college career. I would also tell freshmen to leave fear at home. Come to college knowing that you can do anything you put your mind to. Be Bold, Be Free, Be Heard, Be You and most importantly LIVE!
Anything else you want to add?
Currently, I am working on a brand that I will be starting in the near future called “Marked III.” It is an organization that allows people to understand that they are marked by labels we often give ourselves; labels the world places on us and traumas that we experience. Marked III will help people recognize that they are marked by the bad but also marked by the good and the greatness that is over their lives.
The goal of Marked III is to dismantle the negative connotation of being “Marked.” As a Black man, I am Marked by racial trauma, mental health, along with many other things. I was born with a target on my back so I want to help everyone understand that I Am Marked and you may be Marked as well, but being Marked WILL NOT stop us from accomplishing our goals and it can be fuel to the fire that burns inside of each and every one of us. I want my peers to know that I am open and available to anyone if they ever just need to talk. I may not have all the answers but I’m sure I can help find the answers that they seek.
Have a great semester, have a great year, and be safe! Change is coming.
###
The Black Male Initiative is affiliated with the Office of Inclusion & Equity at the University of Indianapolis.
“I have gained some wonderful friends who share the same academic interests as me. I have also been able to academically challenge myself.”
That’s the idea behind four Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) at the University of Indianapolis.
The newest LLC, Umoja Scholars, was named after the Swahili word for “unity” and is designed for first-year students who identify as Black, African-American, or within the African diaspora.
Residence Director Rishawnda Archie co-created the Umoja LLC and will teach the new student experience during the 2020-21 academic year. She also advises the Project Regalia student organization.
Residence Director Rishawnda Archie
Archie was looking for ways to retain students of color and help students feel like they belong. She conducted focus groups with UIndy students to make sure the plans for the LLC were tailored to address specific needs. Launching in Fall 2020, the Umoja LLC is full with a waitlist for women, with spaces still available for men.
“I’m excited to help Umoja Scholars learn more about their culture, have dialogues about their experiences, and connect to mentors and allies on and off-campus,” she said. “I’m also looking forward to seeing what the resident assistants’ program and what activities they’re coming up with for students.”
Faculty Sponsor Terrence Harewood
As the faculty sponsor for Umoja, Terrence Harewood, associate professor of multicultural education, will lead activities in the Indianapolis community, such as visiting the Madam C. J. Walker Building, Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Park and Crispus Attucks High School.
“My goal is to support Umoja scholars in successfully navigating their transition to and through college through a focus on healthy racial identity development,” Harewood said. “I want to help the scholars recognize and utilize the assets they bring with them from their families and communities to foster productive social and academic outcomes.”
Resident Director Vanesha Blackburn will oversee the Umoja LLC housed in Crowe Hall.
“The students’ experience in the residence hall will make a profound difference in their collegiate journey. I am excited to work with each resident to create an exciting, fun, comfortable, and familiar space for them,” she said. “I want this to be their home away from home, a place where they can engage their peers, discover their racial identities, and explore unknown avenues to aid their college experience,” she said.
Three additional LLCs at UIndy are tailored for students in the Ron and Laura Strain Honors College, the R.B. Annis School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing. Each community has a designated area in the residence halls and students share at least one common course per semester.
Retention of first-year students is a primary focus for each LLC. Over 90 percent of LLC students from the 2019-20 academic year plan to return to campus in Fall 2020.
Kyle Johnson, Assistant Director of Residence Life
Assistant Director of Residence Life Kyle Johnson oversees the LLC programs at UIndy. While 2020 has presented unexpected challenges, Johnson says the entire Student Affairs team is “doing everything we can to provide the best experience possible for students.” That includes a summer engagement plan with virtual check-ins for incoming students, faculty sponsors, and August kick-off events that provide opportunities to engage while observing safety measures related to COVID-19.
The benefits of being in an LLC include early move-in, off-campus activities, like a walking history tour of Garfield Park, a dedicated staff of students, customized wraparound services, like self-care courses for nursing majors, networking opportunities, and special events like Pizza with the Prez, a leadership workshop, a community service event, and an end-of-the-year celebration.
There are no additional costs associated with being in an LLC—just additional benefits. Click to learn more about LLCs at UIndy.
Here’s what some Greyhounds have to say about their LLC experience:
LLCs in the United States have historically been built around privilege, but Johnson has other plans in mind.
“As we move forward, we’re interested and committed to adding more communities for underrepresented populations.
Learn more about Living-Learning Communities at UIndy.
*If you’re a UIndy faculty or staff member who is interested in proposing an LLC, please contact Kyle Johnson at kyjohnson@uindy.edu. While the formal process begins during the Fall semester, we are happy to begin the conversation now.
By Savannah Harris
This winter semester, both poetry writing workshop (ENGL 370) and advanced poetry writing workshop (ENGL 470), taught by Associate Professor of English Dr. Liz Whiteacre, were tasked with creating poems that responded to various themes, prompts, and styles. After the class finished their construction, we arranged them together into chapbooks that reflected our work and represented our various sources of inspiration. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we could not finish out our final poem presentations in person, but UIndy Communications & Marketing came up with a creative solution that allowed us to share our hard work with the Greyhound community in an inventive way.
The “Poems from Home” project was presented to each student as an optional opportunity for practice in public poetry reading, an essential skill for any growing writer who is interested in sharing their work. We each chose a poem, either one we wrote or that of a well-known poet, to record ourselves reading. It was intended to be impactful and carry a positive message to encourage ourselves and our listeners during these uncertain times. My English major friends are extremely talented and I knew this project would turn out to be a wonderful expression of our individual and collective creativity.
The poem I chose to read, “The Seed of a Bonsai Tree”, is also the first poem in my own chapbook. It deals with the dichotomies between winter and warmth, fear and peace, and, most importantly, the idea that through every difficult situation is the universal certainty that we will persevere. It can be hard to keep this in mind with everything on pause, but a similar message of hope threads throughout each poem chosen by my fellow students. It shows that no matter what obstacle we are facing, creativity and unity are a constant—especially here at UIndy!
Click the video below to watch:
Carolyn Scott ’14 (nursing) was working at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis when officials in New York, one of the hardest-hit locations in the U.S., issued an emergency order and a plea for additional medical staff. Scott, who is also licensed to practice in New York, answered the call, working directly with COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Brooklyn for eight weeks.
This is her story, in her own words:
I had been working in California for the last five years and missed my home, so I came back to Indiana in October of 2019. I returned to my roots at the hospital that I started bedside nursing – Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital. I bought a house, and was really happy with my job, learning and expanding my knowledge in the critical care department there. It felt really good to have settled back into my community in Indianapolis, and I had no plans to leave. I was working in Intermediate – ICU, where the management and my coworkers were really great at fostering my growth as a nurse. I enjoyed my travel contracts on the west coast, but no place felt quite like Eskenazi or matched the culture there.
Then the pandemic happened, and I saw the growing need in New York. I had gotten my NY nursing license a couple of years ago, thinking I might travel there at some point, but never thought it would be for a virus infecting the city that would ultimately bring me there to work…
I continued working at Eskenazi, and our cases of COVID were rising, but they were nowhere near the extreme rates happening in New York. I received emails from Andrew Cuomo asking for healthcare professionals to consider coming out to help, and hearing him speak on the news really did compel me to consider going more. I wrestled with the decision for three weeks. On one hand, I was just getting settled in my new home and was so happy with my current position at the hospital.
What if I got sick, and I had no one in the city that could help take care of me…? What if the conditions were really bad and I couldn’t handle it…? What if there wasn’t enough PPE? What if I had no job to return to after my contract there? What if I got it and was one of the rare young people who had serious complications and never came back…?
I didn’t want to leave my family, friends, coworkers, and community here in Indy, but after seeking counsel, speaking with different people in my life, and praying/ meditating, I decided I needed to go. I always wanted to do as much as I could with the nursing degree I got from UIndy and put my skills to work and serve those in need. As much as I knew there was still need here in Indy…there was even more need in New York right then.
Everyone has their role to play, and as a fairly healthy, single woman with no children or spouse that relies on me, I felt I was the exact person that should heed the call to go to help. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly, and I felt an immense sadness to leave Eskenazi Hospital. My last shift, I tried to keep my composure but broke down as I turned in my badge knowing I might never get to work at my favorite hospital again. I hoped I might be able to get a small leave of absence to go and help in NY and then return to Eskenazi, but their requirements for notice changed once the pandemic came, and I was ineligible for rehire.
I questioned if I made the right decision and felt a lot of guilt. What if it got really bad here, and I had left them? Ultimately, I knew Eskenazi (with their great leadership and staff) would be okay, and I felt confident that I would be more useful in New York during this time. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I knew that if I didn’t go, I would always look back and think I could’ve helped, but I decided to stay where I felt more comfortable, and I would be disappointed in my decision.
As difficult as the decision was, after the first couple shifts I knew I had 100% made the right decision in going to the frontlines. The hospital I was at in Brooklyn, New York was converting unit after unit to COVID ICU. I had seen this already at Eskenazi, as the need for my critical care beds were needed, but this was a whole new level. For intake reports, it was hardly even necessary to ask about the patient’s COVID status…everyone was positive.
I was impressed with how the resident staff embraced us newcomers. They had been working so hard already. You could see the exhaustion and weariness on many of their faces; the effects of what they had already seen and been through. We had been starting to have more cases in Indianapolis, but they were under a major surge and had been picking up extra shifts to try to meet the staffing needs. They NEEDED more staff, they needed reinforcements, and it felt really good to be there, and hopefully take a little of the workload off of them.
As difficult as it was, I would do it again. I am so proud of all the wonderful people I had the privilege to work alongside in Indiana and New York, and all those that stepped up everywhere during this pandemic. I’m also beyond grateful for all the people who encouraged me, supported me, prayed for me, and sent their love to me. It really was what got me through the dark times.
I worked my last shift of my 8-week “COVID-crisis” contract Thursday, June 4th at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Brooklyn Methodist. I thought I was going to go home to Indianapolis for a week and then return, but I am no longer extending at this time. As the hospitals try to plan for the future and determine their staffing needs for the coming weeks and months, I am trying to be patient and rebalance at home for whatever comes next. I have been talking with my recruiter about other contracts possibly in D.C. or back to NY. I’m glad to have this time to relax and catch up with my friends and family though.
Ultimately, none of this would have been possible without my education at UIndy. I often think about how fortunate I was to be able to get my nursing degree. There are so many more talented and hardworking people out there that lack the opportunities I was afforded, and I want to never take my privilege to obtain my degree for granted. My parents believed in me, even when I had my doubts on if I would be able to make it through nursing school, and that was such an important part of my success, in school and now in my career. They were understandably hesitant in the beginning for me to go to New York, but once we discussed it more, they gave me their support in my decision.
I don’t think I realized how lucky I was to get to go to UIndy until I first started working as a nurse, and it finally clicked. Wow, I get to be a nurse. I absolutely love my profession. I love being able to care for people, and trying to help them feel better. My education at UIndy prepared me for that. I actually think of many of my nursing professors while I’m working; different things that they said during lectures glued in my mind that I’ll recall as I’m caring for my patients. The textbooks taught me the knowledge I needed, but I don’t remember reading specific chapters; I remember the experiences and wisdom that my professors shared and the clinicals that made me understand what it really meant to be a good nurse.
I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Indianapolis, but it gave me so much more than that. It helped me recognize that I have been given an enormous gift of an excellent education, and I am capable of so much because of that.
