Care Beyond Boundaries
Connor immediately felt at home on Northwestern’s campus, but he found his true calling off campus, participating in service trips around the world. He says nursing gives him the opportunity to care for people going through difficult health challenges. He eventually hopes to return abroad to use his skills in underserved communities.Why did you choose Northwestern?
I chose Northwestern because it felt like home from the very first time I set foot on campus. My professors were intentional and built relationships with students, whether it was in my major or an elective class. People genuinely invested in me, and I felt that from the beginning. I also thought I could grow my faith there, but it still amazes me how much I was able to grow there!
Why did you choose a career in nursing?
I originally went in as a biology-health professions major. Unfortunately, my first year was the year the world shut down due to COVID-19! During that time, I was working as a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home, and I did a lot of reflection. I found I really enjoyed the hands-on aspect of medicine. I loved building relationships with the people I took care of, so I decided to make the switch to nursing. I have had some medical things come up in the past, and I remember that nurses were the people who made the times being in the hospital or clinic worth it. I wanted to do the same for the people I was going to help!
What did you come to value about your NWC experience?
I valued many experiences. My faith grew through campus ministries and the mentorship of people in my dorm. My love for traveling developed through the spring and summer service projects I was able to participate in. I went to eight countries in three years through these programs and an assignment for the nursing program. I made a lot of incredible friends at Northwestern. While these friendships began at college, they continue to grow. Most of all, I believe I would not be the person I am today without the personal growth and reflection I was able to achieve through my time there.
What are your favorite memories of your time at Northwestern?
Some of my favorite things were from my spring service trips and with my friends. One of my first trips was to Puerto Rico, where we stayed in a baseball stadium. We slept in the box seats and got to see a minor league game. For another trip, I went to Bahrain and got to walk around a 4,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site. In Mexico we tried street food at a nighttime open market and helped with an after-school program for local kids. These are experiences you can’t casually recreate every day, and these are the memories that will stay with me for a long time. The same came from everyday life in the dorms, from nights playing video games to midnight taco runs at La Juanita. There was always some memory to be made if you knew where to look.
Why do you feel called to use nursing to reach underserved communities?
It really started with a nursing assignment. Northwestern wanted us to get a certain number of volunteer hours shadowing someone in the nursing field. While most people went local, I felt I should be doing something different. I did some research and found an organization that let people do cross-cultural work overseas. I signed up and did a month in Zambia shadowing a nurse at an urgent care clinic. It lit a fire under me about doing cross-cultural work for people and communities that have less access to the care we have around here. My spring service projects and Summer of Service trip really confirmed the joy for this work, and I hopefully will be able to return to Africa to continue pursuing that work.