Annalyn Velasquez

I was a NICU nurse. I always wanted to go back to school and get a terminal degree. Getting a master's degree was the next step, and I decided to apply to Florida International University because it was a local institution. I had many different majors in college, but I liked teaching, and I knew I wanted to do something to help people. I went through different fields, but a friend in nursing school told me of all the things I could do as a nurse, and I thought it was a great fit. I had to do a research rotation, as the master's program had it as a requirement. I met a couple of students who weren't in nursing, but they were in the same federally funded program I was in. It was called ER Minority Healthcare and Research Training, and we were all excited that we were going to do research abroad. I participated and spent a semester while I finished my master's pediatrics program in Germany. I learned more about nursing and did research in Germany, which was an experience that stood out for me. I went back to FIU as an instructor for clinical rotations, and I was a clinical adjunct for FIU for many years. I taught veteran, accelerated, and traditional students, and I had a wonderful experience. It motivated me to go back to PhD school for my doctorate in research. My goal is to go back to FIU because I'm grateful to them. I was pleased for having established relationships with students during my clinical rotations.