Author: Brandon Rios

Hello,

My name is Brandon Rios, and my pronouns are he/him. I currently reside in Brooklyn, New York, where I was born and raised. Currently, I am a fourth-semester nursing student here at Citytech. I have always felt my calling in life was to help people and be an advocate for those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or don’t have the means to do so. Since then, I’ve had a strong interest in the health care field, in particular nursing; this is where I felt I could make a difference and have an impact on individuals with health care disparities. Outside of school, my hobbies include lots of self-care and spending time with friends and family because, at the end of the day, those are the ones who matter the most.

Attached is part of a sentence from an email that a professor from the department wrote to me. I had just been denied admission into the nursing program for the semester that I had applied to, and I was filled with discouragement. During this period of time in my life, I was at a crossroad that was met with so much uncertainty. However, despite my emotions, this professor saw so much potential in me and encouraged me to reapply for the fall. Eventually, this professor and I became close, and she became my mentor and wrote to me exactly what I needed to hear during this period. That specific sentence she had written almost four years ago has resonated with me since then. A lot of my success and progression in the program were due to her because of her belief and faith that I was meant to get admitted into the program and eventually become a nurse.