---
title: "Meet Giovannia: A Nursing Student Leading With Heart and Content Creation"
url: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/meet-giovannia-a-nursing-student-leading-with-heart-and-content-creation/"
type: post
date_published: 2026-06-15
date_modified: 2026-06-15
schema:
  @type: Article
language: en-US
word_count: 1585
reading_time: 8 min
canonical: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/meet-giovannia-a-nursing-student-leading-with-heart-and-content-creation/"
featured_image: "https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Florida-Nursing-School-Student-Giovannia-Downs.webp"
categories:
  - Nursing School
topic:
  - Nursing
---

# Meet Giovannia: A Nursing Student Leading With Heart and Content Creation

![Florida Nursing School Student Giovannia Downs](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Florida-Nursing-School-Student-Giovannia-Downs.webp)

For one student at Arizona College of Nursing, the journey to nursing school has
been more than studying, balancing clinical demands, and preparing for a future
career. It has been about finding a calling and making a difference.

Meet Giovannia Downs: A mother, wife, former medical assistant, and current
nursing student leader who is redefining what it means to pursue your goals. On
top of gaining an education, Giovannia is the Vice President of the Student
Nursing Association (SNA) and a member of the Social Scrub Squad at
[AZCN’s Fort Lauderdale campus](https://arizonacollege.edu/fort-lauderdale-nursing-school/)
.

Giovannia leverages her position as a member of the Social Scrub Squad to share
the unfiltered truth of nursing school and utilizes it as a platform for
leadership and a way to inspire others. She not only is
[working toward her own degree](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/)
, but she is inspiring a whole new set of future nurses to take the leap and
enroll.

## Giovannia’s Call to Care

Giovannia’s path to nursing began in Nicaragua. Her passion for the medical
field was not something she found in a textbook. Instead, it was something that
she had lived with since childhood.

“I remember always wanting to be in the medical field. I remember always playing
with my dolls and pretending to be a doctor [or] a veterinarian. I always
wanted to be the one taking care of my sister [when she] would fall and get a
scrape. I was the one rushing with a band-aid,” explained Giovannia.

That deep desire to heal stayed with her as she grew up. She always looked up to
the healthcare professionals who advocated for their patients and knew she
wanted to be the same person for others one day.

As a result, Giovannia moved to the United States eight years ago and began
working as a medical assistant. It was here that a colleague noticed her
potential to be a truly inspiring leader in the medical field.

“I remember a doctor telling me, ‘Don’t take this a bad way, but you can do so
much more than a medical assistant. Why don’t you go back to school?’ I was
like, ‘No, med school is a long journey.’ I already had a daughter…and I was
like, ‘You know what? [I can be a nurse](https://arizonacollege.edu/admissions/)
. I can still give to the community being a nurse and is a shorter trajectory.”

## Finding Arizona College of Nursing

When it came time for Giovannia to
[choose a school](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/why-azcn/),
she was not just looking for a degree; she was looking for a community. Like
many students, her search for a college began online. However, it was human
connection and hard data that solidified AZCN was the right fit for her.

![Giovannia Downs in Florida Nursing Program](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Giovannia-Downs-in-Florida-Nursing-Program.webp?w=656)

“Well, it’s cliche to say this…but I feel like Arizona found me because I was
looking for universities and it came up on my searches. I communicated with the
advisors here and everything went smoothly. It just gave me a good sense of
energy,” she said.

In addition to the “vibes” of the college, Giovannia had a very specific
[checklist of things she looked for in a school](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/)
. In the state of Florida, where
[ NCLEX pass rates](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/nclex-exam-prep/)
are a major talking point for prospective nurses, she did her research.

“For me, the most important thing was the NCLEX score, because here in Florida,
there’s a lot of colleges or universities that have pretty low [NCLEX scores].
That was one of the first things I looked at. When I went on the [AZCN]
webpage and saw their score, I was like, ‘this is it.’”

The speed of the application process also appealed to her. From finding
information about the College in June to starting classes soon after, the
transition was seamless. She credits the staff and faculty for this welcoming
atmosphere.

“I just love being here. Like the Dean, she’s amazing and very reachable. The
faculty wants to help, [and] you can feel that. That’s what I love the most
about Arizona College of Nursing. Every time I speak about Arizona, I speak
about it pridefully and I always give my experience, which has been nothing but
excellent.”

## Joining the Social Scrub Squad

On top of studying, prepping for clinicals, and taking care of her life at home,
Giovannia decided to expand her impact at the College through social media.
Joining the Social Scrub Squad, a group of students from our campuses across the
United States, who love creating content, staying updated with trends, and
connecting with others, allowed her to share the realities of nursing school.

“Being part of the Social Scrub Squad has been nothing but a fun and meaningful
experience because when I was looking for a college, I was looking on social
media. I wanted to give that to [others]. I wanted to show not only the
rewarding part of the nursing journey, but also the challenging part. And that’s
what I have based [my content] on. I don’t only share the good things that I’m
going through. I also share the challenging parts.”

Through social media platforms, her confidence, communication, and creativity
have blossomed, and she has become a mentor who takes pride in representing
AZCN. She often shares “Day in the Life” videos, her own
[clinical experiences](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/skills-and-science-lab/)
, and organizational tips and tricks.

Her impact as part of the Social Scrub Squad is clear, as Dean Jenny Lucy, DNP,
MSN-Ed, PMHNP-BC, APRN, CNE, Dean of Nursing at
[Arizona College of Nursing’s Fort Lauderdale campus](https://arizonacollege.edu/fort-lauderdale-nursing-school/)
, even mentioned that multiple people have enrolled at Arizona College of
Nursing, citing her videos as one of their reasons why.

“Dean Lucy told me there’s a lot of people that have come here from watching my
videos. A lot of people have reached out on me on TikTok asking, ‘How is it?’ or
‘How many prerequisites?’ I will text them back [and say,] ‘DM me and I’ll
send you all the details,’ because that’s why I did it, right? Because I wanted
people to have the information.”

## Balancing Leadership and Motherhood

In addition to her roles on campus, Giovannia is a wife and mother. According to
her, the roles don’t compete for her attention. Instead, they work together.

“I’m a people person. I love […] interacting with people [and] being part of
the SNA helps me with that. And then, joining the social scrub squad – they go
together. It is just like [being] a nursing leader on campus.”

Though Giovannia is humble about her influence, many of her instructors have
noticed her natural talent and personable nature.

“I get that a lot…In my last two clinical rotations, I was told by my
instructors that I am a natural leader,” Giovannia shares. “I want to guide
[others], so I guess it comes out like that motherly kind of persona per se.
So yes, I guess that does make me kind of a leader.”

For her, clinical rotations are where her “calling” is reaffirmed and where she
truly enjoys combining classroom theory with the hospital’s realities to be a
leader.

“I told my husband, when I go to my clinical rotations, I come back home and
[am] like, ‘This is what I need to be doing.’ This is what I love doing. I
love being there, and I just enjoy it so much.”

Instead of viewing nursing as just a job, she views it as an opportunity to be
the person she would want by her own bedside.

“I want to be the person that’s going to give [a patient] all [they need] to
make [them] feel better… [I] put myself into their place and think what I
would want [in] a nurse [taking] care of me? I would like a nurse to
advocate for me, and I would like a nurse to care.”

## Advice for the Next Generation of Nurses

As she gets closer to graduation, Giovannia has a message for individuals
considering
[starting their own nursing journey](https://arizonacollege.edu/admissions/),
especially those who may be worried about their age or the time it will take.

“My advice is to do it. Don’t think about it too much. It will help you time
manage, it will teach you discipline, and] it will teach you perseverance. If
you think about it too much, the time is going to go by, so just do it… It’s
never late, it’s never too early, so just go for it.”

Giovannia’s story shows that it is never too late to find your passion or become
a leader. Whether she is advocating for patients, leading meetings for the SNA,
or filming a video for social media to encourage others to embark on their own
nursing journey, she shows that anyone can make a difference in their community
at any time.

“I always tell people, don’t get into nursing if you don’t feel passionate about
it, because we need compassionate people out there, especially in the medical
field.”

**Categories:** Nursing School