A Part of History
If there was any debate that Chiara Richeson had made the right decision to attend Midland University, her official visit to campus erased any doubt.
“We were in the library, and Janet Lack (Coordinator of Academic Resource Center) was giving her presentation. She started talking about one of the display cases that featured items from one of the first graduates from the Immanuel Hospital School of Nursing (which merged with Midland in 1973). She mentioned that the graduate’s great-granddaughter would attend Midland next fall–and that was me!
“I had already decided that I was coming to Midland, but I had no idea that my great-grandmother was a part of this history. After seeing that display, my thought was that after a sign like that, I knew I had made the right decision.”
The Gothenburg, Nebraska, native was certain she wanted to play a sport in college, but she wasn’t sure which sport, or which college, would be her choice. “It was going to be either basketball or volleyball. I was getting a little burnt out on basketball, and volleyball was still fairly new to me. Midland offered me the opportunity to play volleyball and be part of the nursing program. After meeting with Coach (Paul) Giesselmann and professors, there was something about Midland that I felt like this is where I needed to be.”
Her first thoughts were to be an educator, like her mother. However, a visit to a first grade classroom during a job shadowing experience in high school quickly changed those plans. “It was one of the longest days of my life, and I went home and told my mom that teaching just wasn’t for me. I knew I wanted a job where I could help people, and my mom suggested healthcare. Both my great-grandmother and grandmother were nurses, but I didn’t have any experiences with a nurse until my junior year of high school. I had a pretty bad sports injury and I was really nervous to have surgery. My nurse was the biggest reason I got through the process.
“There is something special about taking care of people during their most vulnerable state of life. No one wants to be in the hospital, so one of my favorite things is to be a positive force when someone is at their worst. I love the fast-paced environment of a hospital, and I really can’t see myself being anything but a nurse.”
Chiara will be completing her preceptorship in the spring, with the eventual goal of attaining her nurse practitioner license and becoming a provider. “One of the great things about nursing is that there are so many opportunities in many different fields. Midland’s program has set me up for success because I have been able to be in so many different clinical settings.”
Although she decided to give up volleyball after two years, Chiara has found numerous other ways to remain involved on campus, including working in the learning lab as a nursing tutor, being a Bible Study leader in Cru, and working in Student Health for three years.
“Midland has given me the chance to do everything. I’m so thankful for this opportunity, and it’s helped shape me into the person I am today. I have had professors who genuinely care about me, know my name, and want me to succeed. I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.”
Chiara Richeson is a senior nursing major from Gothenburg, Nebraska.
