Lissette Gomez-Rios

I had a family member who was diagnosed with cancer in my country, so I wanted to become a nurse to be able to help patients, especially in oncology. One of my professors who used to be in the Army was very thoughtful, and he told us that we have to prepare and do a portfolio at that time. I didn't even know what a portfolio was. He said, 'You have to do it because when you go to the interview and forget something, you have it there. At least looking at that, you can talk and do a very good interview.' He was right because I always keep that portfolio and everything in order when I go to my interviews. It helps me a lot. What I learned was to be a little bit more professional. When I went to the other college, it was more for young people. When I went to FIU, even though that was still for a lot of young adults, I really learned how to be more professional. English was my second language, and that's one of the things that challenged me. FIU helped me with that. The professionals at the School of Nursing helping me from the beginning to the end made me smile because I felt important as a student. I felt welcomed by this. Listening to all the experiences of my professors and how passionate they were about the nursing career made me feel happy that I took the right decision.