At a first look, Stephanie Simoes, a second-year nursing student, may seem introverted because of the way that she wrings her hands when she speaks.

However, when she talks about nursing and the nursing program at Pace, her eyes light up and she becomes animated as she talks about her future as a successful nurse.

Simoes made the decision to transfer into the nursing program last year because she wanted to be able to pursue her passion despite the fear of not being able to make it through the program.

“I’ve always wanted to be a nurse in the back of my mind. I doubted myself because I didn’t get into the nursing program at Pace the first time,” said Simoes.

She believes that nursing program is difficult from her own experience, but that it can be done, if students commit their time to studying and learn how to manage their time.

According to Simoes, students can only fail out of two classes before being kicked out of the program and there is a one year wait time for every class that they fail. Additionally, students are only allowed to retake a class once.

“A lot of students that should have graduated already haven’t because they have to wait a whole year to retake a class,” said Simoes.

Although the nursing program is so rigorous, what keeps Simoes so motivated is her experience with patients and how she feels when she is able to provide excellent care for people that are in pain.

She recalls her experience volunteering at a hospital when she was in high school and her first experience interacting with a patient.

“I was reading a lunch menu to her because she had a hard time seeing. She confused me for an actual nurse because I had scrubs on and she appreciated it so much. It was a small moment but I was so happy that I made her feel good,” said Simoes.

Simoes believes that her parents played a big part in her being able to take on the nursing program. She is the first in her family to go to college and receive a formal education which put a lot of pressure on her need to succeed.

“Explaining certain parts of my college career can be difficult because they don’t understand everything, but they just want me to succeed and have everything that they don’t have,” said Simoes.

She believes that anyone that has a perception that they cannot succeed in the nursing problem should at least try, if they truly want to be a nurse.

“Just stop overthinking and take the steps to be a nurse,” said Simoes. “The difficulty level is all in your head and it can be manageable.”