“THE GLOBAL STUDIES MAJOR HAS PUSHED ME TO UNDERSTAND MY ROLE AS A WOMAN IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD.”
An Empowered Woman
Taylor Itsell ’12 has high hopes of breaking into the medical field with the nursing degree that she is earning here at Saint Mary’s. After graduating Taylor says, “I would like to go on to become a surgical physician’s assistant or a pediatric oncology nurse.”
Being part of the Saint Mary’s nursing program is challenging, but that is exactly what Taylor wanted. In fact, the College’s high standards for its students are what drew her here. Taylor says, “When I visited for the first time, I found it so empowering to be at a school of very smart, spiritual women educating themselves to make a difference in the world.”
Outside of her major courses, Taylor finds that her general education requirements have proved to be immediately helpful. Her favorite professor, Dr. Peter Checca, teaches her Italian class. “Although [it’s] not in my major, being in his class taught me a lot about school. He was very challenging but I learned how to study well, adjust to college, and to strive to do better than my best.”
Another great benefit of being a Saint Mary’s student, Taylor says, is the numerous opportunities to get involved. “The school does an excellent job making sure that there are plenty of ways to get involved even with your busy schedule.” Taylor is a member of a variety of clubs on campus including art club and photography club. She is on the Saint Mary’s and University of Notre Dame lacrosse club team. When Taylor isn’t busy with schoolwork or clubs, she works at the Health Center on campus, where she is able to get a feel for her future as a nurse. Off campus, Taylor makes time to volunteer by helping with a breast cancer walk here in South Bend and serving as a lacrosse official for the local high school lacrosse teams.
Saint Mary’s has provided Taylor and other students with the opportunity to excel and become strong women. Taylor comments, “I feel that Saint Mary’s College is a wonderful environment for women. In such a male dominated society, it’s very empowering to be educated with all women before we go out into the professional world.”
—Lauren DeBruce '11