For Emily Morris, the path to becoming a nurse has been anything but ordinary. A Tampa native and first-generation college student, Morris is wrapping up her final weeks in the University of South Florida's nursing program. As she approaches the end of her degree, she is more prepared for her next steps after attending the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) Annual Convention where she built upon her skillset in health care even further.
Morris' journey into nursing begins with an early discovery of her knack in caregiving by volunteering to work with special needs students in middle school. That passion solidified when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in high school. After earning her CNA license in high school, she entered USF’s nursing program. She was the first person in her family to go to college, let alone nursing school. With the promise of free pizza, she joined the USF Nursing Student Association (NSA).
NSA is the student organization at USF College of Nursing and is affiliated with the nationwide organization, NSNA.
Her involvement with NSA became a cornerstone of her experience in the nursing program. She gained invaluable leadership experience as the Vice President of NSA which connected her with peers, professors, and national leaders in nursing. “I love connecting with people. So the fact that I get to work with my classmates and faculty, I find it very enjoyable,” she said, “And it’s helped my resume a lot. Public speaking, time management, organization - I feel like it’s shaped me for post grad, which is something that our club really focuses on.”
That momentum continued with her recent attendance at the NSNA Conference in Seattle, WA. The experience was eye-opening and deeply practical. From earning her 2-year epilepsy first aid certification to engaging in NCLEX prep workshops and mental health panels, Morris says the real-world insights went beyond textbooks. “For example, at the epilepsy certification that I went to the speaker personally had epilepsy. So he could speak in broader terms that aren’t education knowledge or textbook based,” Morris said.
Now on the cusp of graduation, Morris is applying to USF’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and preparing for the NCLEX and job applications—all while mentoring incoming students. “Support is everything,” she emphasizes, pointing to her parents’ encouragement and her boyfriend’s family of nurses for giving her both emotional and practical guidance. As a student who joined the program knowing practically no one to being a leader in the program helping her peers succeed, her advice for new nursing students is simple but powerful: to make as many connections as possible and get the most out of nursing school at USF.
“Our nursing program is just very special, but I feel like we have a lot of support,” she said, “We have a lot of fun, you really bond with your clinical group. I think even though these are supposed to be the worst (most difficult) years of college, I think these were my best years.”