Page 107 - 45th Anniversary Alumni Success Stories

I’ve always had a dream of becoming a nurse practitioner.
I’d tell people that I wanted to work in a small town with
wooden sidewalks, where my dog could follow me to
work and folks could pay me with tomatoes from their
garden. Instead, I joined the military, became a fighter
jet mechanic, left the military, rejoined as a reservist and,
eventually, retired from the military. I felt a bit lost and
I was even considering rejoining when I saw an ad in the
paper for Pima Medical Institute’s first nursing program.
I knew then, it was time to follow my dream!

I’m so thankful to PMI’s Nursing Director, who saw my
potential and allowed me into the program. One of my
biggest challenges was having to work and support myself
while going to school. After graduation, I worked as an
RN in a hospital emergency room and continued my
education, earning both my bachelor’s and my master’s
degrees. In 2014 I became a Nurse Practitioner and I went
looking for my little dream country town and I found it.

I currently work in a small ranching town, Duncan, AZ,
with a population of just over 600. There are no wooden
sidewalks, but I work in a community health clinic where
everyone gets healthcare, one way or another, and some
patients even bring me tomatoes from their garden! Thanks
to Pima Medical Institute, I am living my dream!

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