"Rather than weeding out the weak, Monroe is structured for your success. And that support doesn’t end at graduation."
Second Lieutenant Kathleen Aguiar Alejandro is an active duty registered nurse with the United States Air Force Nurse Corps. She and her husband, who is also in the military, moved to New York City from Cape Cod when he was relocated.
"I took this time to go to school for nursing, something I've wanted to do since high school. I searched area colleges and was so impressed with Monroe," she says. “It was the fastest way to earn my degree and the admissions team made it so easy to apply. I immediately felt welcomed.”
Kathleen received her bachelor’s degree in nursing magna cum laude in 2018. Along the way, she earned numerous awards and scholarships: She is a two-time recipient of the NY Chapter Student Scholarship from the Hispanic Nurses Association, holds the Future Nurse Leader Award from the American Nurses Association, and is a recipient of the Monroe University School of Nursing Dean’s Award.
"Monroe provided me with so many different opportunities to succeed. It’s the fastest and most effective nursing program out there. Within a year of starting school, I was working as a nurse, building the necessary skills while earning my degree. That’s how I was able to get a full-time job after I graduated," she says.
While at Monroe, Kathleen helped establish and was the president of the school’s Nursing Club. The club provides peer mentors to new nursing students and offers volunteer opportunities ... and was such a success that the school made it a part of its curriculum.
“Nursing students can get so focused on their grades and passing their tests that they can forget why they want to become nurses,” Kathleen said. “Volunteering gives nursing students a way to get involved and give back to the community while taking a small break from academic life.”
Kathleen says she thrived at Monroe, and believes the smaller classes allowed her to better connect with classmates and professors. "I felt supported and received guidance every step of the way," she says. "Rather than weeding out the weak, Monroe is structured for your success. And that support doesn’t end at graduation. President Marc Jerome called me recently to see how I was doing.
“No other college treats students like they do at Monroe,” Kathleen said. “Coming to school here was the best decision I made.”
