Taylor Yonfa, a senior nursing major, feels excited and confident as she prepares to start her preceptorship and take the NCLEX exam. She dreams of serving in a pediatric ICU, as she enjoys working with children and loves the teamwork required in critical care.
When Taylor looked into nursing programs, she remembered watching the Berry College eagle cam in her fifth-grade class and decided to see what the college was like. She was blown away by the campus beauty, small classes where professors knew students’ names and the sense of belonging.
Her experience with the nursing program has been hands-on and intentional. Taylor’s advisor and mentor, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing Ashleigh Woods, taught her freshmen seminar course. Though incoming students often feel unsure of themselves, Taylor says the community-building aspects of the Berry culture — like this class — set her up for success.
Throughout Taylor’s college career, Woods has remained a constant presence. “She has always encouraged me and set the bar high, but it has been with compassion,” says Taylor. “From random chats after class to more formal advising meetings, she is a strong support.”
These traits typify Berry’s nursing faculty, who are receptive to Taylor’s questions and curiosity. She describes herself as a "why” person, so Berry's conversational class structure has been a great fit. She also praises the nursing program’s well-organized curriculum design.
“Faculty have been thoughtful about the curriculum and how nursing students build on their knowledge,” says Taylor. “This hasn’t been the experience for my friends in nursing programs elsewhere.”
Early in her junior year, she gained experience in a hospital setting. “At first I felt a little overwhelmed and challenged by this responsibility, but ultimately I got so much practice with patient care,” Taylor explains. “Nothing can really match interactions with patients and family members and the full context of a hospital. Being thrown into the clinical setting right away was something I came to appreciate.”
Applying critical thinking occurred during Taylor’s study abroad trip to Kenya with 24 nursing students and six faculty members. She observed contrasts between clinical rotations in the U.S. and Kenyan sub-county hospitals.
“I was used to giving the textbook answers,” says Taylor. “But sometimes, we didn’t have what we needed, or patients’ problems were more than medical. For example, the lack of pain medication for children with severe burns was tough to witness. Many of the situations in Kenya required us to solve problems with limited resources, and it was challenging but important work.”
Taylor encourages aspiring nursing majors: “Find your passion, and let it drive you. I was surprised my GPA improved once I was admitted to nursing school, but what I was learning applied immediately to what I wanted to do. Embrace the unique opportunities at Berry. Relationships with the faculty and staff will support you through your career ahead.”
