Tackling the Challenges
As the oldest child in her family, senior Brea Lovitt is no stranger to tackling challenges head-on. Growing up, she understood her role in charting the path for her siblings. Brea credits her mother as the one who helped equip her with the tools and mentality needed to take on a resilient mindset in all areas of her life.
Resiliency and hard work have been the pillars Brea has embodied in her roles as a student, a dancer, and a Warrior. It’s what we do to get through the challenges that shape who we ultimately become.
“My mom has always taught me what it means to be strong, independent, responsible, respectful, and resilient all in one.”
When taking that first step in her college career, Brea was immediately faced with challenges in the form of her major. Initially pursuing education, she quickly discovered the field was not for her. After some soul searching, Brea settled on nursing as the place she needed to be.
“The reason I want to be a nurse is because of this passion I have to be an advocate for all patients and everyone I take care of. I have plans after school to get my doctorate or nurse practitioner to be a women’s health provider. I have a strong passion to provide for women who are young, old, pregnant, or with a family. I just want to care for people.”
Brea’s passion for healthcare and nursing was solidified through a moment of resiliency after losing her grandmother. Brea would go home and work the night shift to take care of her, embodying that nursing role. When her grandmother passed away in the fall of 2020, Brea felt assured in her decision to pursue nursing.
“When I lost my grandma, it changed my perspective on nursing completely. It just drove home to me why I want to be an advocate for these people, why I want to take care of them, and why I want people to be comfortable and have the best care provided for them.”
In addition to her grandmother, Brea points to the COVID-19 pandemic as a significant test of her resiliency. Being sent home from dance nationals and going through online learning as a nursing student was a challenging moment in her college career. However, having that Warrior resiliency is what helped her through it.
“A Warrior is resilient to push through any circumstances that may be thrown at you. Things like COVID-19, being on dance and being sent home from nationals, going through loss and hardships, friends graduating, or not graduating, are moments that show a Warrior being resilient.”
Part of having resiliency is knowing how to find those places of support. Brea points out that her relationships at Midland have created a network of support for her. Her dance teammates will be her forever friends, and she is building long-standing relationships with her coaches and professors. Brea encourages students to take advantage of these opportunities of support.
“One, I encourage students to get involved and to meet people outside of their sport and major, but two, really work to develop those relationships with professors and classmates that you have because those are people that are going to see you on your worst and best days.”
Brea Lovitt is a senior nursing major from Beatrice, NE. To share your story or nominate a friend, email social@midlandu.edu or post using #FacesofMidland.
