Five-year-old Sarah sat quietly in the back of a college nursing classroom with a box of crayons spread across the desk in front of her.
While her mom scribbled notes during the lecture, Sarah colored anatomy diagrams, sketched diseases on scraps of paper, and “operated” on gummy bears with a paper clip. To everyone else, it looked like a child entertaining herself through class. To Sarah, it was the beginning of a dream.
After Sarah’s father had suffered a heart attack, her mother returned to school to become a nurse, unsure whether she would need to become the family’s sole provider. With medical bills piling up and childcare out of reach, Sarah tagged along to class with her mother, unknowingly receiving an education of her own.
“My whole life, I wanted to be nothing except a nurse,” Sarah said. That certainty brought her to Utah Tech University, where she followed in the footsteps of her mom and brother, both proud alumni.
Her path, however, had its setbacks.
“It’s been a long but rewarding journey,” Sarah said. “I was accepted into the nursing program at Utah Tech, but I didn’t make it through the first time. After failing one of my classes, I was released from the program. Looking back, it’s really been a story of resilience.”
With support from faculty, she earned her way back into the program, later serving as class president and receiving the “Student of the Year” award.
“School taught me discipline. It taught me how to do hard things even when I didn’t want to because they were for the greater good.”
After graduation, Sarah entered cardiac nursing and spent five years in the ICU.
“When I first graduated from Utah Tech, all I ever wanted was to be a bedside nurse,” she said. “Once I became a nurse, I realized I wanted to continue learning so I could do even more for my patients and my coworkers. The more education I gained, the more I was able to help those around me.”
That drive led her to earn both a Family Nurse Practitioner degree and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Georgetown University. She is now pursuing a Master of Business Administration as she continues her commitment to growth and leadership.
Her message to students is simple: “First, don’t give up. Don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t limit yourself. Look for ways to help others, and pursue them wholeheartedly. Don’t put limits on your potential.”
The little girl who once colored anatomy diagrams in the back of a nursing classroom never outgrew her dream. She simply grew into it.