Myra Power Buttacavoli

I lived in Miami for 40 years, so I knew the schools. I chose FIU because it was a progressive, upcoming school. I did my bachelor's degree at the University of Miami, but for my master's degree, I wanted a different experience. FIU was growing so much - it was exciting and innovative. I liked the atmosphere of it, and it had so much to offer. My program was great and extremely interesting. I was 50 years old when I went through FIU Nursing, so I had a very different perspective compared to if I went in my 20s. It fit my needs. I never felt out of place because we were all in the same boat. We all had a common goal. I worked at Miami Children's Hospital for several years before I went to FIU Nursing, so I had a great network of people who were also going through school. Once I graduated from one school, I was already registered for the next school. I met an old professor I had when I was going to a junior college. She was one of my professors at FIU Nursing, so that was cool. I ran into people I went to school with previously in Miami. I now get the FIU Magazine, and it's awesome. It's so Miami. I love getting it because I see people I recognize. There are people I worked with who are now professors there or have been for a while. When I was in the program, I was allowed to take one non-nursing elective. I took public speaking and had to get permission to take it because it was an undergraduate program. I wanted to be better at giving lectures because I felt like I was going to faint before I even got up to the podium during my first one at Miami Children's. It was a horrible feeling, and I wanted to be better at it. It was one of the most fun non-nursing classes I ever took and one of the hardest classes. It taught me so much about presentations and getting up in front of an auditorium of people. It served me very well. I also learned that I had to know my material and know what I was talking about.