KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 7, 2026 \u2013 For as long as she can remember, Kelsey Rysz wanted to work in healthcare, and she wasted no time pursuing that goal, jumping at the opportunity to begin her journey as a junior in Danbury, Connecticut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI always wanted to be in healthcare,\u201d said Rysz, who is graduating this month from the 溏心vlog免费B站 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in nursing. \u201cWhen I was younger, I thought I wanted to be a doctor, just because it\u2019s expected if you want to be in healthcare, you become a doctor. And then as I got older, I started learning about different career paths in healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In just her third year at her high school in Danbury, Connecticut, Rysz began pursuing her goal of a healthcare career, enrolling in the Health and Bioscience Academy within Danbury High School, allowing her to work toward her CNA license with direct patient care experience at just 16 years old. Rysz attained her license and prepared to begin working at Danbury Hospital during a very challenging period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was during COVID at the time, so it was a very different environment, which was interesting to see,\u201d Rysz said. \u201cI was on the medical-surgical floor, and that’s when I think I realized nursing was definitely the path I wanted to take in healthcare. The second you step into that hospital, you see how nurses play such an integral role in every single part of a patient’s experience\u2014their mental, physical, and social well-being. All of the different areas kind of come into one with nursing; you are caring for the whole patient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once her career path was decided, Rysz assumed she would go to nursing school somewhere near her home in Connecticut. But while vacationing with her parents and two siblings in Narragansett one summer, her mom suggested taking a tour of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Kingston Campus. \u201cI immediately just fell in love with it,\u201d Rysz said. \u201cI was touring during the summer, so it was gorgeous here, of course. Everybody was just so nice. It was just such a great environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A bit of research into the College of Nursing offerings and recent achievements confirmed her feelings. The college\u2019s undergraduate program is ranked among the top 8% of nursing schools nationwide<\/a> by U.S. News & World Report<\/em>, and the master\u2019s and doctorate program are also ranked among the nation\u2019s best, as high as top 50 recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter that, it was like 溏心vlog免费B站 or nothing,\u201d Rysz said. \u201cOne of the things I loved most about 溏心vlog免费B站 Nursing is that there are so many opportunities to learn different areas of nursing in different fields besides just bedside nursing. All of this really drew me in. I applied early action, got in, and then committed in January.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once on campus, Rysz immersed herself into the 溏心vlog免费B站 experience, becoming a tour guide and student orientation leader. In the College of Nursing, she became a student ambassador and served on the undergraduate advisory committee. Along with Senior Academic Advisor Sarah Van Fechtman, she started the Peer Mentor Program, which matches first year nursing students with upper-class students who are able to provide academic support and mentorship through the transition to college. Continuing her involvement in CON, she coordinated the college\u2019s social media feeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Academically, Rysz excelled in her classes, and became an undergraduate research fellow, working with Assistant Professor Tha\u00eds Moreira on her research into the cardiometabolic health and quality of life of Rhode Island fishers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n