Balancing School, Work, and Life for Your First Year as a Graduate Student

Speakers

Mary Starks, BS, RN, CNOR
FNP and DNP Student
University of Rochester

Mary Starks is an accomplished graduate student in the dual family nurse practitioner master’s and doctorate program at the University of Rochester School of Nursing (URSON). She completed her first bachelor’s degree in anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After graduating, she worked three years as a neuroscience researcher in the Geschwind laboratory at UCLA, studying immunohistochemistry in relation to Autism. She decided that she wanted to pursue a career in nursing and left her residence in Los Angeles to pursue her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Rochester School of Nursing in the accelerated program for non-nurses (APNN). After graduating from nursing school, she accepted a position at Strong Memorial Hospital in the adult operating room. She currently works there as a skilled vascular surgery nurse and preceptor. In addition to her full-time position, Mary is an active member in her local National Black Nurses Association chapter, the Rochester Black Nurses Association (RBNA). She is a founding member of the local chapter and the chapter’s first vice president. She currently is the founder and chair of the RBNA mentoring program in partnership with the URSON’s APNN program, where she and other Black nurses mentor nursing students of color. She is also an active student member in the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State (NPA) where she is a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee member and 2021 Nurse Practitioner Student of the Year. After completing her graduate program, Mary plans to work in primary care. Her passion is caring for those with chronic diseases, especially African-American patients. She plans to continue her advocacy for Black patients and students through her continued work in RBNA and other organizations and mentoring programs.

Lucia Diaz, ANP-BC, CUNP
DNP Student
Clarion and Edinboro Universities

Lucia is a bilingual dual certified nurse practitioner in adult and urology specialties. She obtained her BSN-MSN degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and is currently completing her DNP degree from Clarion and Edinboro Universities in consortium. She has over twelve years of experience as a nurse practitioner providing culturally sensitive urological care to one of the most diverse populous counties in the nation, Los Angeles County. As one of the lead NPs champions in her organization, Lucia is continuously advocating for ways to improve access to care, health promotion, and patient outcomes. In 2020 she was nominated for the AUA’s Nurse Practitioner of the Year award, the AANP NP State Award for Excellence, and she received the Community Champion Award from the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association. Her feature in the Johns Hopkins Magazine speaks about the wholistic care she delivers and her advocacy efforts for the underserved communities. While serving on the Angeles County Department of Health Services Nurse Practitioner Advisory Committee, Lucia represented the voice of over 100 NPs in her institution and 400 NPs in LA County. She remains a mentor to both novice and seasoned nurse practitioners, passionately advocating for NP awareness, professional development, and interprofessional collaboration. Through leadership and social advocacy, Lucia hopes to continue being the voice of her community beyond the local, state, and national level, to improve the health of all underserved communities on a global platform.

Alden Bush, MS, MPH, RN
DNP Student
Columbia University

Alden Bush was born and raised in Miami, Florida to a Honduran family. He is a first-generation college graduate and first-generation American. Alden began his academic career at the Universidad Iberoamericana School of Medicine in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he completed premed, basic sciences, and one year of clinical rotations, before having to change career paths due to unforeseen circumstances. He transferred to the US and attended the University of Florida for his undergraduate studies in psychology and then completed an MPH in public health practice and management at the University of New England. Alden first went to Columbia to become a master’s prepared registered nurse, at the Columbia University School of Nursing, where he was both a William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Rudin Opportunities Nursing Scholar. He has been an active student leader throughout his time at Columbia Nursing, having served as University Senator, member of the Student Council E-Board, and sitting on a number of committees dedicated to anti-racist pedagogy and culture. Currently, he is a doctoral student in the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and was recently named a 2021-2023 Jonas Scholar. Alden values nursing’s holistic approach to disease and its emphasis on individuals’ lived experiences. He is an outspoken advocate for health justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. As a doctorally prepared Psychiatric NP, he aspires to provide comprehensive mental and primary health care in minority and safety-net communities.

Audrey White, MSN, FNP-C, MHAI, MBA, DOT-CME
DNP Student
Chamberlain University

Audrey White has years of experience in cardiology. Her primary focus is empowering patients to decrease their cardiovascular risk factors to improve their overall health and wellbeing. She is currently working on research that focuses on reducing cardiovascular risk factors and disparities in our communities.

This webinar is free to deans, faculty, staff and students from AACN member schools of nursing. All non-member audiences will be required to pay a $59 webinar fee. 

Continuing Education Credits:

Eligible attendees may receive one continuing nursing education (CNE) contact hour for participating in this webinar. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is an accredited CNE-provider by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.