--- title: "Turning Grief into Purpose: An AZCN Student’s Path to Nursing" url: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/turning-grief-into-purpose-an-azcn-students-path-to-nursing/" type: post date_published: 2026-01-05 date_modified: 2026-04-10 schema: @type: Article language: en-US word_count: 1204 reading_time: 7 min canonical: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/turning-grief-into-purpose-an-azcn-students-path-to-nursing/" featured_image: "https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Las-Vegas-Nursing-School-Scholarship-Recipient-copy.webp" categories: - Nursing School topic: - Nursing --- # Turning Grief into Purpose: An AZCN Student’s Path to Nursing ![Las Vegas Nursing School Scholarship Recipient copy](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Las-Vegas-Nursing-School-Scholarship-Recipient-copy.webp) _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](https://arizonacollege.edu/admissions/scholarships/) 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 Krystalynn Sisneros as she shares some of her journey to nursing:  _ ## Finding Her Calling After Loss Meet AZCN Values Scholarship Recipient, Krystalynn Sisneros, a Nursing Student at the [AZCN Las Vegas Campus](https://arizonacollege.edu/las-vegas-nursing-school/). Following the tragic loss of her son, Kyler, Krystalynn found purpose in pursuing a nursing career to honor his memory. She chose Arizona College of Nursing to begin her journey, moving with her children from Hawaii to Las Vegas, and is supported by her husband in what they see as a team effort. _Watch Krystalynn’s video here:  _ ## Krystalynn Reflects on Her Nursing Journey  After earning my nursing degree, I plan to use my knowledge and personal experience to help others in my community. There are three specific things I want to achieve in my lifetime. First, I want to work in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and use my personal experience to connect with my patients and their families. I want to support and advocate for my patients and their families through their most vulnerable moments. Secondly, in the future I plan to return to Hawai’i, to the hospital Kyler was born at, and change to pediatric OR nursing for cardiac surgery.   ![Scholarships for Las Vegas Nursing Program](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Scholarships-for-Las-Vegas-Nursing-Program.webp) A few years after Kyler’s death, our local hospital was able to hire cardiothoracic surgeons. This means that the children of Hawai’i from all islands are now able to receive lifesaving surgeries at home. I would love to be a part of this amazing opportunity that will have positive lasting effects for our communities. Lastly, I want to become an educator to inspire the next generation of nurses. My hope is that becoming a nurse will show others how deeply rewarding a nursing career can be. I say this as a parent of a patient and as a future nurse. Nursing leaves a lasting impact on the lives of the people you will cross paths with. Maybe one day my journey will come full circle, and I will inspire someone just as Kyler’s nurses did for me.  ## Q&A with Krystalynn  ### Q: How did you get started on your nursing journey?  **A:** My nursing journey started a few years back in 2020, after I lost my son  Kyler. He was born with congenital heart defect called total anomalous pulmonary venous return, something that couldn’t be detected in utero. He ended up being flown out from Hawai’i, maybe a day and a half old, and we were flown straight to California for open heart surgery. There he fought for 39 days and succumbed to all his injuries prior to getting all his surgeries and corrections for whatever he needed. But he ended up passing away. It was there at that time, the very next day after I lost my son, I told my husband that I couldn’t sit in my grief and not do anything because I felt like my son wouldn’t have a purpose either if I didn’t fulfill this purpose. And he was OK with it. He [said] ‘go do what you want to do, however you want to handle this your way. I will just support you in whatever way.’ So, I started, I went right back into school and that was in Hawai’i.  I started school January 2021, and my son died September of 2020. I tried to get all my gen-ed classes out of the way, and I worked in a hospital at Pali Momi Medical Center, and I worked with cardiac floors, basically. That’s kind of where I was heading for as a nurse.  ### Q: How did you find Arizona College?  **A: **I have family members who left Hawai’i and decided to move to Las Vegas. I had my little cousin who started this program and is going to graduate this August, and she led me down that path. I asked her questions like “What do you like about your school? How do you like it? And she loves it. She said, ‘you  can’t get this anywhere in Hawai’i for the tuition price either. If you move here, the cost of living is so much better than in Hawai’i.’ That was pushing me towards it because when I was back home and I was looking at [applying to different schools](https://arizonacollege.edu/admissions/) and I’m  looking at the tuition prices.   My husband and I talked about it, and he said whatever you want to do, however you want to achieve this. It led to me leaving my husband in Hawai’i so he could stay and work and me and my kids moving to Las Vegas so I can go to school and watch the kids so he could just work.   ### Q: How has your experience been with AZCN?  **A: **Every time I go into an in-person class, I make friends very easily. The students are all in this together, and we’re all just trying to make it in school. I think we all click at the end of the day. The professors are amazing.  It’s these kinds of professors that make me feel like this is an amazing school. And this too, like [being offered scholarships](https://arizonacollege.edu/admissions/scholarships/) to apply for and stuff like that is rare and hard to come by.  ### Q: Do you feel like the sacrifice that you’re making is worth it?  **A:** I do feel like you can see where you’re headed and it’s going to make a difference. I feel like all my sacrifices will be worth it at the end of the day. My husband and I always talk about that too. [Many people say,] ‘I could never leave my husband,’ or ‘I could never leave my wife just to go to school somewhere else.’ [But my husband says,] this is a team effort. If anybody can do it, I know my wife can.’ He tells that to everybody.  ### Q: How is the community support at AZCN?  **A:** We do have [a lot of support](https://arizonacollege.edu/student-services/), even with just regular homework, they give you places to go if you need help, you have your learning resource center, you can ask for tutoring from your professors. There  are so many people. Not only that, [but you are] making friends with other students who understand the work. They are willing to help, and everyone’s so supportive. We’re all just trying to pass together.  **Categories:** Nursing School