CU Nursing - Commencement Spring 2021 - 2

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BY THE NUMBERS
176 Undergraduate
Nursing Students

G R A D U AT I O N &
C O N V O C AT I O N
2021

77 Master's
6 Post-Graduate
Certificates
17 DNP
7 PhD

Making it Possible
for Others to
Pursue Nursing

B

By Dana Brandorff

randie Galicia's love of nursing began at age
11 when her mother was diagnosed with a
rare congenital disease in which brain tissue
extends into the spinal canal. It can be very
painful and cause neck pain, hearing or balance
problems, dizziness, numbness, difficulty
swallowing, and tinnitus. Her mother's condition was so
serious that it threatened to paralyze her and required surgery.

ACTING AS HER MOTHER'S INTERPRETER SET HER
ON A PATH TO NURSING
As a 6th grader, Galicia would accompany her mother
to her doctor's appointments. Her parents migrated from
Mexico and were not fluent in English, so Galicia acted as
her mother's interpreter. " I got to interact with the staff, and
I noticed that my mom really bonded with one of her nurses.
From that point on, I fell in love with how nurses related to
patients and the care they provided. "
Fast forward a few years to Galicia's senior year at Aurora
Central when she tore her ACL. " This time, I was the patient. "
Scared about undergoing surgery, Galicia recalled, " How
one conversation with my pre-op nurse changed my whole
perspective. The experience just solidified my desire to go
into the nursing field. "

SCHOLARSHIPS WERE A GODSEND
During high school, Galicia enrolled in concurrent
enrollment classes with the Community College of Aurora

CU College of Nursing | May Commencement 2021

Courtesy of
Susan Baggett

(CCA), which allowed her to graduate
in 2017 with 16 college credits! She
went on to attend CCA on a full-ride
scholarship through the Aurora
Gives Foundation and applied to the
Integrated Nursing Pathway (INP)
program at CU Nursing. " I worked
hard throughout high school, with the
help of my scholarship, to try to get
most of my pre-recs done so that I
could apply for the INP program. "

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE LEADS
TO NEW INITIATIVE
" I was lucky. I received
scholarships. But for a lot of firstgeneration college students it's
discouraging - mainly because of the
cost, " said Brandie Galicia. That's why
she's been working on an initiative
with the Future Voices organization
that combines mentoring opportunities
for Hinkley High School students

with access to scholarships. To have
access to the scholarships for which
Galicia is currently writing grants,
the students must participate in a
mentorship program that includes
workshops and lunch and learn
sessions that immerse the students
into the world of nursing. Galicia has
already enrolled 18 students and has a
sponsor at the high school. " The kids
are extremely excited. I think they see
that I've gone through what they're
going through and can help them
figure out a path to achieving their
dreams, " said Galicia.
Galicia will graduate in May with
her bachelor's degree and will be the
first member of her family to do so.
" My parents always believed that I
would do something in the medical
field because of how naturally I
gravitated toward helping people, "
said Galicia.
CU Nursing - Commencement Spring 2021

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