Katelyn’s Path to Nursing School

This is a multi-part series celebrating Arizona College of Nursing students, their stories, and their embodiment of the AZCN values.

In 2023, Arizona College of Nursing established the AZCN Values Scholarship Fund as a way to celebrate our values with our colleagues, our students, and the communities in which we serve. Each time an AZCN colleague recognizes another colleague for demonstrating our values, $5 is added to the scholarship fund. These add up to $5,000 scholarships awarded to students the following year who have demonstrated our values within their communities.

Join us in celebrating 2025 AZCN Values Scholarship recipient Katelyn Gomez as she shares some of her journey to nursing:

Katelyn’s Path to Nursing School

Meet AZCN Values Scholarship Recipient, Katelyn Gomez, a Nursing Student at the AZCN Fort Lauderdale Campus. As a victim of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, FL, Katelyn witnessed the brave efforts of the many healthcare professionals who stepped up to provide care, comfort, and compassion. Now, Katelyn aims to dedicate her life to helping others during their most vulnerable times.

A Defining Experience Turned Life’s Purpose

Earning my nursing degree will allow me to give back to my community in meaningful ways. I intend to work in critical care, where I can be a source of hope and healing for patients facing life-threatening conditions. Additionally, I am passionate about community health outreach and mental health advocacy, particularly for trauma survivors. I want to use my platform as a nurse to educate, support, and advocate for those affected by violence and tragedy, ensuring they receive both physical and emotional care.

Q&A with Katelyn

Q: How did you pick Arizona College of Nursing?

A: Arizona College offers a bachelor’s degree. When I went in there to tour the campus, I fell in love with all the staff, and they were super welcoming. The campus does have a good vibe. You feel it like right when you walk on. And then the professors definitely feel like family. If I’m having a bad mental day, they take you in and make sure that you’re okay because nursing school is hard.

Q: How do you feel welcomed at AZCN?

A: The professors do recognize their students a lot. They see if you’re having a good day, if you’re having a bad day, if this is not how you usually perform, and I really do appreciate that. That was my experience, and it was amazing. Dr. Lucy, who is now our Dean, she was my professor for mental health and then she became our Dean by semester 9. She noticed right away when my grades were falling and [said,] ‘I know you and I know you as a student. You can perform better. Please tell me what’s going on.’ I felt seen. It is hard to put yourself first in a lot of things, especially nursing school, because you are studying [a lot]. So, it was nice to see that professor, especially Dean Lucy, who recognized that right away.

Q: How has AZCN prepared you for your career as a nurse?

A: Nursing school has prepared me to become more responsible and to be good on time management, as well as [learning to] go with my gut feeling. A lot of times in semester 5, you can second guess yourself in questions and then think, ‘why did I get this wrong? I knew that!’ Nursing school definitely prepares you to trust your gut and not change your answers. Then even with your patients, really trust your gut because sometimes that can save a life.

Q: How is it going from the new nursing student to the new nurse graduate?

A: I do feel prepared, especially with semester 9…[Arizona College of Nursing] is really honing in on preparing us for the NCLEX, which is nice because you graduate and then you must take this big test to get my license. They do ATI reviews for our campus, and our NCLEX coordinators are really on top of us. I really appreciate that.

Q: What is your call to care or your passion for coming into nursing?

A: My call to care will be to make [my] patients at least have a smile during the day. When people are at the hospital, it is [typically] one of the hardest days for them. So, I definitely think I want to become that nurse that doesn’t make it feel like a hard day. I want to give them a little smile.

Information in this post is accurate as of December 2, 2025.

*The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program at Arizona College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (https://www.aacnnursing.org/). All Arizona College of Nursing and Arizona College campuses are institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (https://www.abhes.org/), a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency.