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via shu.edu[/caption]
As the famous saying goes, it’s not how you start, but it’s how you finish.
Emily Slate, a 23-year-old alum of Seton Hall University, can identify with these words after graduating in the spring of 2015 and pursuing a career in the nursing field.
“As a senior in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to be. My mom is a nurse and I always thought it was so neat that she was such a respected person in our community because of her profession as a nurse. I wanted to be like that,” Slate said.
Like many first-year college students beginning their journeys, Slate’s transition was difficult, but she said did not let any obstacles stop her from pursuing her goals.
“I have to say my freshman year was my hardest. It was an adjustment to living away from home and trying to find a niche of my own on campus,” she said. “Honestly, I could not be who I am today without the support system that I have. There are so many professors I have to thank who went above and beyond to help me achieve my goals. I am amazed at how much they give of their time and energy to help their students.”
In addition to volunteering through the Division of Volunteer Efforts ( D.O.V.E.) and being resident assistant for three years, Slate’s travel abroad experiences put her work into perspective.
“Traveling to the Philippines was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am so grateful to have experienced. Unfortunately, health care is very different in the Philippines with the limited amount of supplies that we take for granted here in the U.S.,” she said. “ One health care challenge that took me by surprise was that a lot of people had a hard time being able to get to health care clinics because of the lack of money and transportation options.”
Her trip to Rome also helped her to connect with others that she said she had never expect to relate to.
“I love that about nursing,” Slate said. “I can help people who I may not think that I have anything in common with, yet simple values can connect us together.
Slate currently works as a nurse in the Coronary Intensive Care Unit at the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in Ohio. Her best advice to current nursing majors is for them to challenge themselves.
“Go on that study abroad trip or take that extra class next semester. College is one of the greatest times to really explore your interests and learn as much as possible,” she said.
“The most important thing I have learned from Seton Hall University is to help others every chance you get,” she added. “There is always something you can do to give back.”
Dominique Mcindoe can be reached at dominique.mcindoe@student.shu.edu.
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