Joanna Patricia Sheldon, DNP

My father-in-law was a physicist who was a professor at FIU. My mother-in-law went there too, so I followed the tradition. My first experience was as an undergraduate student, which was great. The professors were very understanding of the fact that I worked full-time. I decided to return to get my master's degree to become a nurse practitioner. The teachers were phenomenal, and I learned a lot from them. I also made really good friends who I still communicate with to this day. They also graduated as nurse practitioners, and our professors were very helpful with the graduation process. They reached out to us because they wanted to know where we were even after we graduated. Maintaining those friendships and connections has helped me in my profession when I run into doubts or questions. We communicate with each other to confirm things and findings. I was inspired to continue to my doctoral degree, and I've grown tremendously in my professional career.