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 Lapria Junior as she shares some of her journey to nursing:
Lapria’s Story
Meet AZCN Values Scholarship Recipient, Lapria Junior, a Nursing Student at the AZCN Southfield Campus. A cancer diagnosis in her teens inspired Lapria to pursue her dream of caring for others. She now aims to become a voice and advocate for other Black women, who are disproportionately affected by breast cancer.
Watch Lapria’s video here:
The Voice of an Advocate
My decision to become a nurse was shaped by personal experiences that deepened my understanding of patient care and the profound impact healthcare professionals can have on people’s lives. At 19, I was diagnosed with cancer, an experience that transformed my perspective on medicine. Initially, I was on a pre-med track at Wayne State University, aspiring to become a doctor. However, undergoing chemotherapy and interacting with different medical professionals made me realize that I wanted a career with a stronger focus on patient-centered care.
Q&A with Lapria
Q: Can you explain how your nursing journey got started?
A: I’ve always wanted to be a pediatrician because I had an awesome pediatrician, and I loved children. Ever since I was a child, I’ve wanted to work with kids. So up until college, I wanted to be a doctor, and then I got sick and had to [leave] school. My mom told me I shouldn’t go next semester, but I went anyway. I ended up having to drop out midway through because I should have listened to my mother. Then it was between nursing or being a radiology tech to operate the machines. I know that’s probably weird because I was a patient, but it was fascinating to me to see them do everything.
Q: Do you mind talking about your experience with your health?
A: I had a tumor in my right breast. You could kind of see it from the outside because it was so close to the skin. Initially, my primary care doctor thought it might be a cyst because I was so young. I had just turned 19. I was living on campus at Wayne State, and I had noticed [it]. Everyone treated it like a cyst. It was not hurting or anything. Then I had a biopsy done.
My first doctor that did my biopsy, also my lumpectomy afterwards, was a black doctor. I loved her. She’s perfect. She was the one that told me that I had cancer. They sent my tumor everywhere because I had triple negative breast cancer, so they had a hard time diagnosing everything.
Q: How did this experience lead you to your own nursing journey?
A: That experience I had…it was right before I had radiation. I did chemotherapy for 4 months and then I had radiation every day for a month. Also, one of my other doctors wasn’t the best to me, but every nurse, tech, everyone else was amazing. I used to wear, like, an angel necklace to radiation every day and they didn’t make me take it off. I know you’re not really supposed to wear jewelry, but she would just slide it behind my left shoulder and let me keep it with me.
Q: How did you end up finding Arizona College of Nursing? What was your first experience on campus?
A: I did feel welcome. I went to Wayne State, but they didn’t let me get my transcripts. I had to start completely over. I found Arizona College of Nursing through the Internet. I saw some girls that went there, and I liked what they had to say about it. [What stood out was] how clinicals and simulations were going and how they could come in and practice whenever they wanted to. [Also,] what the instructors were like, and the location was good for me.
I sort of stay to myself when I’m on campus, but everyone is really kind, friendly, and helpful, [especially] when we’re studying. I’ve liked all of my instructors so far and my clinical instructors are good…Arizona College of Nursing is a very friendly community. It’s just a group of good people and everyone gets along for the most part. Arizona College is closer knit and personal, and I feel like I could be more one-on-one [here].
Q: Overall, what was your call to care?
A: Being diagnosed with cancer so young, it kind of made me look at the statistics of people that look like me that were being diagnosed with cancer. Did you know that Black women are 38% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women? We need to fix it and hopefully I can be a part of that. So, being an advocate and just empowering and educating to being a voice and inspiration for other people.
Start Your Future in Nursing Today
If you’re considering a career as a registered nurse (RN), Arizona College of Nursing is here to help you pursue your dream. Our BSN program enables you to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in just 3 years or less with qualifying transfer credits. We’ve helped hundreds of students to earn a BSN degree and enter the nursing profession – and we’re ready to support you on your path to becoming an RN.
Why Choose Arizona College of Nursing?
- Earn a BSN degree in 3 years or less with eligible transfer credits
- Campus locations throughout the US
- Night classes for general education courses
- Hybrid Online/In-Person format for general education classes
- Nursing education is all we do
- CCNE-Accredited Program*
- NCLEX-RN success coaches and exam preparation class
- Financial aid available to those who qualify
Discover Your Path to a Career in Nursing
Information in this post is accurate as of April 6, 2026.
*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.