CSI Sophomore Pursues Nursing Major To Make A Difference In Her Community

By: Philip Clinton

In a room full of journalism majors, one thing stands out the most – a second year college student sitting in the classroom whose deepest desire is to become a nurse. That is something that has been a lifelong goal for 18 year old Mel Romero, a sophomore at the College Of Staten Island, originally from Manhattan – who has had a dream to accomplish such a goal since the earliest days of her childhood. Mel’s passion for nursing came with personal life experience driving her motivation. 

From an early age Romero had always enjoyed going to her local pediatricians office – playing with the medical equipment there, at other times pretending to be a doctor with her friends and has always desired to care for young children to ensure they live a long and happy life. One day, unexpectedly, tragedy struck – when her sister was involved in an accident while Romero was still in High School, 

“I had to take care of her,” said Romero. “I really like to take care of people – something about it satisfies me.” 

Nurses make up the majority of healthcare professionals, meaning they are in high demand for employment. In order to become a Registered Nurse (RN) you need to pass the licensure examination called the NCLEX; this is a nationwide exam that allows nursing students tos obtain their license in the state that they take the NCLEX in. 

An incident such as the one Romero had to deal with was something that served as that extra push that she needed in order to convince herself she was meant to go into the nursing field, no matter what. Caring for her sister was a true test of Romero’s own motivation to see if this would be what she wanted to do, in the long-term for others in the same way she did for her own family. 

This was truly Romero’s first experience acting as a nurse. And though it wasn’t professional experience, she was still able to feel the great sense of reward when helping others. 

“Knowing I can help them gives me happiness,” said Romero. “The thought of knowing my family will think of me when they’re ill or in need of medical attention.” 

Caring for people plays an important role in a nursing student’s personal or professional life – ranging from looking after their patients to advising their family on medical issues. Romero’s family has always been proud of their daughter for her accomplishments towards moving forward as a registered nurse and supportive of her ambitious aspirations, in doing the work that is similar to what her sister’s healthcare providers did to allow her sister to have a speedy recovery. 

Romero is now striving towards making a positive difference in other families’ lives – much the same way her family was impacted by healthcare providers in the past. 

Many different factors and unique life experiences can have an impact on a specific career path someone might want to pursue, whether it stems from a personal experience or a lifelong dream. People always consider career choices that they feel best suit them early in life, but as the individual grows, develops and matures – they just might find that their original career path does not suit them as well as they initially believed anymore and may cause many to question the path they set on later in life. 

When asked if she has a different plan for her life in the case that nursing wasn’t the choice for her, Romero answered rather simply. 

“I genuinely don’t see myself doing anything else,” said Romero. “It’s been my goal since high school.”