My name is Madison & I am a 2nd year Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia student in Asheville, NC. I was a practicing Surgical Trauma ICU Registered Nurse for nearly 4 years before starting school, & my plan after graduation is to return to a Trauma Call Team to deliver anesthesia to my favorite patient population. I have 2 dogs who are emotionally supporting me through this rigorous graduate program—which is a huge responsibility to carry on their little shoulders. They know they will be rewarded well for their efforts after I graduate, so that keeps us all strong. Besides my pups, I have an incredible family support system who are so encouraging of my journey. While they are great at helping to keep me centered, they unfortunately are not able to assist me financially. My mom is a high school teacher who worked 2 jobs for many years to help put my two older sisters through college, but with her getting older, she doesn’t have the capacity anymore to work as much to help me with my schooling (I also would never ask her to do this). In addition, the rigor & time commitment of my degree demands that I cannot work for the duration of my program, so I am determined to find other avenues to help support my education/living expenses for the next 2 years. Enough about financial worries—here are some fun facts about me I know you are dying to know: in my free time—which isn’t much these days—I love to read, listen to metal & folk music, bake sourdough, sew small projects, practice calligraphy, play the flute, work on my Spanish, & take my pups hiking/swimming in the Blue Ridge Mountains.