Featured Alumni

My nursing journey did not begin in a classroom with textbooks and scrubs, but rather through the eyes of an art student. I first graduated with a degree in Graphic Design, believing that was the path for me. From a young age, I loved both art and science, yet at eighteen, I felt unprepared for the challenge of nursing. What I did not realize was that God had bigger plans than I had even for myself. After earning my first degree, I worked as a newborn photographer at the local hospital. While capturing those first precious moments of life, I found myself drawn not only to the beauty of helping people but also to the world of medicine. Each time I passed nursing students in the hospital, I felt the Lord stirring something within me. Through prayer, the Lord opened the door for me to take anatomy classes at a community college, and by His grace, I passed with the grades I needed to enter Liberty’s nursing program, even though at that point, I couldn’t pronounce epinephrine to save my life. I’m pretty sure I avoided saying it out loud in class just to keep from embarrassing myself!

I entered Liberty’s accelerated nursing program newly married and without any medical background. The program compressed four years of study into just two and a half, and it was the hardest I had ever worked. Yet, through every test, clinical, and late night of studying, God carried me. He gave me professors and instructors who poured not only into my education but also into my faith. This is the most beautiful thing about Liberty University. Some became lifelong friends and mentors who encouraged me both as a nurse and as a follower of Christ. One professor was the first person I told when I found out I was expecting, and another inspired me to pursue the intensive care unit by igniting my love for critical care.

As graduation approached, I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. My husband and I were overjoyed but also uncertain about what the future held. I felt called both to motherhood and to the ICU, and I wondered how the two could possibly fit together. By God’s kindness, I found a manager who fully supported me as a nurse and a mom. That first year was not easy. I faced steep learning curves and personal challenges, but I also experienced God’s faithfulness. He surrounded me with a strong team and gave me the strength to persevere through it all.

After a few years in the medical intensive care unit, God opened another unexpected door, an opportunity to return to Liberty as a clinical instructor. I began pursuing a master’s degree in nursing education, all while growing my family. Today, I am a wife, a mother of three, a nurse educator, and a proud Liberty alumna. Looking back, I can see how every step was guided by the Lord’s hand. One of the most meaningful parts of my journey has been watching the Lord weave together every piece of my story. Even my background in graphic design found its place in the hospital, where I was entrusted with creating the critical care logo for physicians and nurses on two separate occasions. Nursing is a career full of possibilities, and for me, it has been both a calling and a gift. I tell my students often that nursing is the best degree because it allows you to serve others with skill and compassion while also following God’s call for your life, whether at the bedside, in education, or at home with your family. Nursing is a beautiful and unique calling, full of countless opportunities, and I am deeply thankful that Jesus led me into this path I never expected but now treasure.