Jaclynn Barnes, graduate elect from the UW BRAND nursing program, will give the 2019
University of Wyoming Nursing Convocation address this year.
Jaclynn Barnes, a UW graduate-elect from the UW accelerated "BRAND" nursing program, has been selected to deliver the Nursing Convocation 2019 message this year at the ceremony to be held Friday, May 17, 2019 in the A&S Auditorium on the University of Wyoming campus from 2-4 p.m.
Selection as Speaker
Barnes graduates in August from the BRAND nursing program. She was selected to speak due to her leadership in her nursing program's cohort. She sits on the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing Pre-Licensure Committee, representing her fellow students in the BRAND Program, "and is always positive and professional," says Kim Raska-Miller, BRAND Program Director.
Speech focus
Barnes says, "I look forward to speaking at the Convocation Ceremony and sharing my excitement for the future with my fellow nursing classmates. I was and am extremely honored to be asked to speak at Convocation and hope that I can represent myself, my classmates, and the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing well.”
About Barnes
Though Barnes currently lives in Laramie, she says she "had the blessing of living in many states." Born in New Jersey, Barnes moved to Delaware, then to Florida, then found her way west to Fort Collins, Colorado, before landing in Laramie.
Barnes, as a requirement to be in the BRAND program, has a previous non-nursing bachelor's degree. Her degree was in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida. "I am very proud of this degree," shares Barnes, and it allowed me to have many amazing opportunities throughout my 20’s. However, I always felt that I was missing something in my career, and discovered that I had a desire to help people and give back more than I was currently doing."
Why Nursing?
"In 2016," Barnes begins, "when I was in the search of growing and evolving in my career and trying to discover how I could find more fulfilment in this desire to help others, my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. It was a turbulent time that was eased and made manageable due to the incredible care that my husband and I received both at the Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, Washington and in the Cancer Center at Ivinson Memorial Hospital. During this time, I was applying to veterinary school and quickly changed this path to nursing after watching and idolizing the nurses that cared for him. I was continually impressed by the knowledge, advocacy, and genuine care these nurses provided. It was then and there that my search was over, and I knew what the rest of my career had in store."
More about Barnes
Barnes was also chosen by School of Nursing Dean Mary Burman to represent the school at the 2019 Student Policy Summit in Washington, DC recently. Students interested submitted letters to Burman delineating why they would like to attend the summit. Barnes wrote, "I would love to use this opportunity to travel to DC to learn more about all aspects of the nursing field, education and improving the field of nursing. Being immersed in sessions focused on items such as federal policy processes and nursing’s role in professional advocacy would be personally fulfilling and also great topics to review with my colleagues."