When Michelle Frazier was 8 months old, she had open-heart surgery to correct a congenital murmur.
Although she was too young to remember, 这是 a moment that shaped her desire to pursue a career in healthcare. She spent the ensuing years in and out of medical facilities like Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters for regular cardiology checkups to ensure her heart was “exactly where it needed to be,”她说。.
“I 只是 really loved seeing how nurses and doctors worked and (their) being able to give back,弗雷泽说, who at 23 was recently cleared from regular monitoring. “I knew I wanted to give back in that same sense.”
And while Frazier knew healthcare was her goal, she 不是 quite sure what steps to take to get there. When she started at 最靠谱的网赌软件 in 2018, majoring in psychology was in her sights. “But I realized pretty soon that wasn't really what I was looking for,弗雷泽说. “I do love psychology, 但 I realized I wanted to be more hands-on and in the field.”
She determined that nursing was the direction she needed to go. 她换专业了, 星期六, during ODU’s fall commencement ceremony, Frazier will not only receive her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, 但 她会 lead the rest of her graduating classmates as an Outstanding Scholar Award winner and banner carrier for the School of Nursing.
“I’m super nervous, 但 I'm 很兴奋,弗雷泽说 of her banner carrier role. “我是说，我确实工作过 真的很难 for this, so I feel like everybody should be getting the same experience. But to be chosen for this kind of honor is 只是 overwhelming and exciting and many emotions all at the same time.”
弗雷泽，汉普顿家的 居民 也是第一代学生, pursued her associate degree at Virginia Peninsula 社区 College and her bachelor's degree through ODU全球 concurrently – all while working as a part-time server at a local restaurant.
“Honestly, I look back and I think, ‘I don't know how the heck I 这样做’”弗雷泽说. “I really 只是 wanted to get it all finished and complete and 只是 be 100% focused on my patients when the time came.”
Frazier said she was surprised how seamlessly she was able to transition into ODU’s online nursing program and felt it neatly aligned with her clinical studies at VPCC, where she earned her associate degree in the spring. Her ODU advisor, Connie Estep, provided invaluable guidance along the way, Frazier said.
“We did a Zoom meeting and she kind of explained everything to me,弗雷泽说, including providing details on classes and advice on which to take when, 视学期而定.
“She has been a great student to work with,” said Estep, a student success director for ODU全球. “She carried 13 credits during our shortened summer semester and was still able to pass the National Council Licensure Examination and is now a licensed RN.”
Estep also noted that Frazier maintained a 3.93 GPA in her nursing major courses with ODU.
Frazier admits remote learning posed challenges, 但 she appreciated the flexibility of being able to take classes around her schedule and in many cases getting course syllabi in advance so she could plot out important dates in her planner.
“别误会我, there were a few days where I was 只是 like, it would 只是 be easier to do nothing,弗雷泽回忆道. “但在大多数情况下, I did try to stay on top of it 只是 because so much was going on, and I wanted to make sure I was getting those deadlines for both (schools).”
贝丝·特伦布雷，助理 教授 and undergraduate community health coordinator in the School of Nursing, had Frazier as a student last summer. What stood out to Tremblay was Frazier’s inquisitive mind. “她的逻辑非常清晰, and her ability to understand and apply theory was excellent,特伦布雷说.
She also said Frazier was a great communicator, a crucial skill and “a huge cornerstone of nursing.”
“It's a real joy for me as faculty to have students like Michelle, 谁参与其中，谁感兴趣,特伦布雷说. “我喜欢这样。 她是 护理的未来因为 她是 得到了所有正确的元素. 我们 只是 很兴奋 to have people like her come into this field.”
Frazier said she hopes to return to ODU one day in pursuit of her master’s, 但 for now 她是 already well on her way to using the skills and knowledge 她是 acquired over the years: In October, she got “the perfect job” as a pediatric nurse in a Williamsburg practice that’s part of the CHKD Medical Group.
“It's been a fun journey for me,弗雷泽说.