I have chosen to pursue a career in nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. I understand a nurse as a licensed medical professional who performs a range of duties, providing frontline and hands-on care in a variety of medical and community settings. It would be a profound honor to join their ranks, as I see nurses as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. She was a nurse too, caring for thousands of people over the course of her time at St. Vincent’s Hospital, all while raising four boys and caring for her own parents in Queens. After a lifetime of working so hard and providing so much care for others, she herself needed support as she developed dementia toward the end of her life. I am proud to say that, between family members, home care workers, and the many nurses she came into contact with during her illness, she ended up receiving the dignified and competent care that we all deserve as we age. I know from my work in the field of aging how rare it is for someone with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease to be able to live out their years at home, surrounded by family and dedicated caregivers. Without a doubt, the nurses who supported my grandmother during her many hospitalizations were my family’s lifeline. As she was getting ready to die, nurses were the ones we could depend on to help us get her home and ensure she had all the palliative care we needed to minimize her suffering and ease her passing. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life doing this kind of work, just as she had. As I have looked at nursing programs in New York City, Columbia’s Masters Direct Entry for Non-nurses has stood out for its excellence, rigor, and commitment to health equity. I love to work hard, and I am eager to begin my career, so an accelerated education feels like the right fit. I am also drawn to a masters-level RN as I believe it will best equip me to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings. I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially disabled people, older adults, LGBTQ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. That is why I am thrilled to join the MDE for non-nurses class of 2024-2025.

I have chosen to pursue a career in nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. I understand a nurse as a licensed medical professional who performs a range of duties, providing frontline and hands-on care in a variety of medical and community settings. It would be a profound honor to join their ranks, as I see nurses as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. She was a nurse too, caring for thousands of people over the course of her time at St. Vincent’s Hospital, all while raising four boys and caring for her own parents in Queens. After a lifetime of working so hard and providing so much care for others, she herself needed support as she developed dementia toward the end of her life. I am proud to say that, between family members, home care workers, and the many nurses she came into contact with during her illness, she ended up receiving the dignified and competent care that we all deserve as we age. I know from my work in the field of aging how rare it is for someone with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease to be able to live out their years at home, surrounded by family and dedicated caregivers. Without a doubt, the nurses who supported my grandmother during her many hospitalizations were my family’s lifeline. As she was getting ready to die, nurses were the ones we could depend on to help us get her home and ensure she had all the palliative care we needed to minimize her suffering and ease her passing. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life doing this kind of work, just as she had. As I have looked at nursing programs in New York City, Columbia’s Masters Direct Entry for Non-nurses has stood out for its excellence, rigor, and commitment to health equity. I love to work hard, and I am eager to begin my career, so an accelerated education feels like the right fit. I am also drawn to a masters-level RN as I believe it will best equip me to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. I want to be a devoted nurse like Eric, and I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings. I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially veterans, disabled people, older adults, LGBTQ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. That is why I am thrilled to join the MDE for non-nurses class of 2024-2025 and hope to honor Eric's legacy in my work.

I have chosen to pursue a career in nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. I understand a nurse as a licensed medical professional who performs a range of duties, providing frontline and hands-on care in a variety of medical and community settings. It would be a profound honor to join their ranks, as I see nurses as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. She was a nurse too, caring for thousands of people over the course of her time at St. Vincent’s Hospital, all while raising four boys and caring for her own parents in Queens. After a lifetime of working so hard and providing so much care for others, she herself needed support as she developed dementia toward the end of her life. I am proud to say that, between family members, home care workers, and the many nurses she came into contact with during her illness, she ended up receiving the dignified and competent care that we all deserve as we age. I know from my work in the field of aging how rare it is for someone with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease to be able to live out their years at home, surrounded by family and dedicated caregivers. Without a doubt, the nurses who supported my grandmother during her many hospitalizations were my family’s lifeline. As she was getting ready to die, nurses were the ones we could depend on to help us get her home and ensure she had all the palliative care we needed to minimize her suffering and ease her passing. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life doing this kind of work, just as she had. As I have looked at nursing programs in New York City, Columbia’s Masters Direct Entry for Non-nurses has stood out for its excellence, rigor, and commitment to health equity. I love to work hard, and I am eager to begin my career, so an accelerated education feels like the right fit. I am also drawn to a masters-level RN as I believe it will best equip me to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings. I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially disabled people, older adults, LGBTQ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. That is why I am thrilled to join the MDE for non-nurses class of 2024-2025.

I have chosen to pursue a career in geriatric nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. I understand a nurse as a licensed medical professional who performs a range of duties, providing frontline and hands-on care in a variety of medical and community settings. It would be a profound honor to join their ranks, as I see nurses as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. She was a nurse too, caring for thousands of people over the course of her time at St. Vincent’s Hospital, all while raising four boys and caring for her own parents in Queens. After a lifetime of working so hard and providing so much care for others, she herself needed support as she developed dementia toward the end of her life. I am proud to say that, between family members, home care workers, and the many nurses she came into contact with during her illness, she ended up receiving the dignified and competent care that we all deserve as we age. I know from my work in the field of aging how rare it is for someone with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease to be able to live out their years at home, surrounded by family and dedicated caregivers. Without a doubt, the nurses who supported my grandmother during her many hospitalizations were my family’s lifeline. As she was getting ready to die, nurses were the ones we could depend on to help us get her home and ensure she had all the palliative care we needed to minimize her suffering and ease her passing. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life doing this kind of work, just as she had. As I have looked at nursing programs in New York City, the Columbia School of Nursing Masters Direct Entry for Non-nurses has stood out for its excellence, rigor, and commitment to health equity. I love to work hard, and I am eager to begin my career, so an accelerated education feels like the right fit. I am also drawn to a masters-level RN as I believe it will best equip me to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings, and I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially disabled people, older adults, LGBTQ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. That is why I am honored to join the MDE for non-nurses class of 2024-2025. By the year 2040, the population of Americans aged 65 and older will nearly double. That of adults aged 85 and older is expected to quadruple over the same period. There are some who view this as a crisis. That is because the way we approach aging in this country is from a place of scarcity and dread, and that has determined so much of how our healthcare system is structured. But I believe that getting older and living longer can be a blessing and an opportunity. It can mean loving longer, learning longer, teaching longer, and connecting longer. But that will only be possible for the vast majority of Americans if we reimagine and transform the way our healthcare system deals with aging. And a big part of that will mean valuing the often invisible workers who support older adults to live at home and thrive: our nation’s home care workers. There are over 2.5 million home care workers in the U.S., 92% women and majority women of color and immigrant women. The fact that this work has always been associated with women of color has shaped the way that our society has undervalued it. When the U.S. government was putting our foundational labor laws into place in the 1930s, domestic workers were intentionally excluded as a result of anti-Black racism and the legacy of slavery in our country. Since 2020, I have helped lead a coalition fighting for Fair Pay for Home Care, a bipartisan spending proposal that includes salary increases for home care workers in the New York State budget. When we began our campaign, New York home care workers earned $13.20 an hour in most counties, less than fast-food workers. We took first steps to address this crisis in 2022 by enacting small home care raises for the first time in a decade. But the small increase comes nowhere close to a living wage. We must choose a future where we invest in the work we all know is essential: where direct care jobs become living wages jobs, where care workers can support their own families through their work, even as they support ours. In June, I will begin the Masters Direct-Entry program for non-nurses at Columbia School of Nursing. I will complete over 1,000 clinical hours in small group clinical settings in areas such as labor and delivery, medical surgical, pediatrics, community health, and psychiatric-mental health. The fifteen-month program prepares students to enter the nursing profession as masters-credentialed registered nurses better prepared to meet the demands of an evolving health care system. I hope to become a geriatric nurse in order to continue organizing for age justice and a New York in which every person can live out their years with dignity.

I have chosen to pursue a career in nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. It would be a profound honor to join the ranks of America's nurses, as I see them as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. I know from my work in the field of aging how rare it is for someone with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease to be able to live out their years at home, surrounded by family and dedicated caregivers. Without a doubt, the nurses who supported my grandmother during her many hospitalizations were my family’s lifeline. As she was getting ready to die, nurses were the ones we could depend on to help us get her home and ensure she had all the palliative care we needed to minimize her suffering and ease her passing. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life doing this kind of work, just as she had. I am non-binary and bring lived experience as a gender non-conforming patient in our healthcare system. I believe it’s vital to have more trans and non-binary nurses and healthcare practitioners to help build a healthcare system that is more empowering and respectful for people like me, and by extension, all of us. I know firsthand what it’s like to avoid healthcare because of trauma or anticipated discrimination. I also understand why it can be so hard to advocate for oneself in a system that too often denies gender-affirming care. I’m thrilled that my program (Columbia School of Nursing) understands the importance of these issues, and I look forward to learning from and with like-minded clinicians. As I have looked at nursing programs in New York City, the Columbia School of Nursing Masters Direct Entry Program for Non-nurses has stood out for its excellence, rigor, and commitment to health equity. I love to work hard, and I am eager to begin my career, so an accelerated education feels like the right fit. I am also drawn to a masters-level RN as I believe it will best equip me to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings, and I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially disabled people, older adults, LGBTQ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. That is why I am honored to join the Columbia School of Nursing Masters Direct Entry Program for Non-nurses class of 2024-2025.

I have chosen to pursue a career in nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. I understand a nurse as a licensed medical professional who performs a range of duties, providing frontline and hands-on care in a variety of medical and community settings. It would be a profound honor to join their ranks, as I see nurses as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. She was a nurse too, caring for thousands of people over the course of her time at St. Vincent’s Hospital, all while raising four boys and caring for her own parents in Queens. After a lifetime of working so hard and providing so much care for others, she herself needed support as she developed dementia toward the end of her life. I am proud to say that, between family members, home care workers, and the many nurses she came into contact with during her illness, she ended up receiving the dignified and competent care that we all deserve as we age. I know from my work in the field of aging how rare it is for someone with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease to be able to live out their years at home, surrounded by family and dedicated caregivers. Without a doubt, the nurses who supported my grandmother during her many hospitalizations were my family’s lifeline. As she was getting ready to die, nurses were the ones we could depend on to help us get her home and ensure she had all the palliative care we needed to minimize her suffering and ease her passing. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life doing this kind of work, just as she had. As I have looked at nursing programs in New York City, Columbia’s Masters Direct Entry for Non-nurses has stood out for its excellence, rigor, and commitment to health equity. I love to work hard, and I am eager to begin my career, so an accelerated education feels like the right fit. I am also drawn to a masters-level RN as I believe it will best equip me to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. I want to be a change-making nurse like Maureen, and I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings. I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially disabled people, older adults, LGBTQ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. That is why I am thrilled to join the MDE for non-nurses class of 2024-2025 and hope to honor Maureen's legacy in my work.

I have chosen to pursue a career in nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings, and I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially disabled people, older adults, LGBTQIA+ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. I am non-binary and bring lived experience as a gender non-conforming patient in our healthcare system. As an adolescent, I was subjected to numerous rounds of dehumanizing testing and diagnostics related to my gender identity and presentation, and I've suffered years of depression and anxiety as a result. I had a baby last year so have also experienced pregnancy, labor, and delivery as a non-binary person. Even when I've been able to access healthcare that is on the more affirming end of the spectrum, I know that our system is so far from where it ought to be in this realm. I believe it’s vital to have more trans and non-binary nurses and healthcare practitioners to help build a healthcare system that is more empowering and respectful for people like me, and by extension, all of us. I know firsthand what it’s like to avoid healthcare because of trauma or anticipated discrimination. I also understand why it can be so hard to advocate for oneself in a system that too often denies gender-affirming care. I’m thrilled that my program (Columbia School of Nursing) understands the importance of these issues, and I look forward to learning from and with like-minded clinicians. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. She was a nurse too, caring for thousands of people over the course of her time at St. Vincent’s Hospital, all while raising four boys and caring for her own parents in Queens. She also was queer, and stayed in the closet her entire life. After a lifetime of working so hard and providing so much care for others, she herself needed support as she developed dementia toward the end of her life. I am proud to say that, between family members, home care workers, and the many nurses she came into contact with during her illness, she ended up receiving the dignified and competent care that we all deserve as we age. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life caring for LGBTQIA+ elders.

I have chosen to pursue a career in nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. I understand a nurse as a licensed medical professional who performs a range of duties, providing frontline and hands-on care in a variety of medical and community settings. It would be a profound honor to join their ranks, as I see nurses as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. She was a nurse too, caring for thousands of people over the course of her time at St. Vincent’s Hospital, all while raising four boys and caring for her own parents in Queens. After a lifetime of working so hard and providing so much care for others, she herself needed support as she developed dementia toward the end of her life. I am proud to say that, between family members, home care workers, and the many nurses she came into contact with during her illness, she ended up receiving the dignified and competent care that we all deserve as we age. I know from my work in the field of aging how rare it is for someone with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease to be able to live out their years at home, surrounded by family and dedicated caregivers. Without a doubt, the nurses who supported my grandmother during her many hospitalizations were my family’s lifeline. As she was getting ready to die, nurses were the ones we could depend on to help us get her home and ensure she had all the palliative care we needed to minimize her suffering and ease her passing. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life doing this kind of work, just as she had. As I have looked at nursing programs in New York City, Columbia School of Nursing Masters Direct Entry Program for Non-nurses has stood out for its excellence, rigor, and commitment to health equity. I love to work hard, and I am eager to begin my career, so an accelerated education feels like the right fit. I am also drawn to a masters-level RN as I believe it will best equip me to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings, and I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially disabled people, older adults, LGBTQ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. That is why I am honored to join the Columbia School of Nursing Masters Direct Entry Program for Non-nurses class of 2024-2025.

I have chosen to pursue a career in nursing because I want to provide dignified, affirming, and compassionate care for people, in a world where such a thing can be hard to come by. I understand a nurse as a licensed medical professional who performs a range of duties, providing frontline and hands-on care in a variety of medical and community settings. It would be a profound honor to join their ranks, as I see nurses as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. I have been an advocate for a just healthcare system and more caring economy for over a decade. I have thus had the privilege of working with many fierce and committed nurses through several campaigns for health equity, and I have always appreciated their clarity and grit. While I long admired nurses as colleagues in my professional life, I did not realize I wanted to pursue the career myself until I began providing end-of-life care for my grandmother a few years ago. She was a nurse too, caring for thousands of people over the course of her time at St. Vincent’s Hospital, all while raising four boys and caring for her own parents in Queens. After a lifetime of working so hard and providing so much care for others, she herself needed support as she developed dementia toward the end of her life. I am proud to say that, between family members, home care workers, and the many nurses she came into contact with during her illness, she ended up receiving the dignified and competent care that we all deserve as we age. I know from my work in the field of aging how rare it is for someone with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease to be able to live out their years at home, surrounded by family and dedicated caregivers. Without a doubt, the nurses who supported my grandmother during her many hospitalizations were my family’s lifeline. As she was getting ready to die, nurses were the ones we could depend on to help us get her home and ensure she had all the palliative care we needed to minimize her suffering and ease her passing. I felt such immense gratitude that she was able to die peacefully at home, with her sons and grandkids by her bedside. And as I took the lead in administering morphine and making sure she was comfortable, I had an epiphany. I realized that I wanted to spend my life doing this kind of work, just as she had. As I have looked at nursing programs in New York City, Columbia’s MDE for non-nurses has stood out for its excellence, rigor, and commitment to health equity. I love to work hard, and I am eager to begin my career, so an accelerated education feels like the right fit. I am also drawn to a masters-level RN as I believe it will best equip me to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. Columbia is thus my top choice because I want to be able to provide evidence-based care to people along the wellness/illness continuum in a variety of settings, and I want to do it while also building a healthcare system in which all of us, especially disabled people, older adults, LGBTQ people, and people of color, can expect dignity, respect, and excellent care. That is why I am honored to join the MDE for non-nurses class of 2024 at Columbia University's School of Nursing.