For the Health of It

Julianne Kulevich wants to be a nurse so she can provide patients with comfort and high quality medical care when they need it most.

Kulevich, who graduated from Holy Cross in May as a math major and chemistry minor, has begun the two-year program at the Connell School of Nursing at Boston College. She will be blogging about her life after Holy Cross — and her studies — throughout the year.

The reputation of Boston College’s nursing school drew her to the program, and she was impressed with their extensive clinical affiliations.

Holy Cross also influenced her post-graduate direction.

“Holy Cross really helped me explore and solidify my Catholic faith and the teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits have come to play an important role in my life,” she explains. “Being able to pursue my master’s degree at another Jesuit school means that I can continue to explore and expand my faith through my education.”

She’s living out another important lesson instilled at Holy Cross: helping others.

“I’m looking forward to working in the hospitals and being able to provide patient care,” she says. “The simplest actions I take — even if it’s just flashing a smile or providing a comforting word — might make a difference in a patient’s day, and if I’m able to make a difference to one person, then the hard work of the classes, labs and tests of these next two years will be entirely worth it.”

Kulevich, who will be commuting to Boston from her hometown of Maynard, will spend three hours a week in a nursing simulation lab learning different nursing techniques from changing dressings to placing a catheter. Her clinical practice will take place at Massachusetts General Hospital where she will work a weekly eight-hour shift and perform standard nursing duties under the supervision of a floor nurse and a clinical instructor. She hopes to become a pediatric nurse practitioner after earning her master’s.

Since she is only an hour away from Holy Cross, she won’t be a stranger to the campus. Kulevich recently attended Homecoming Weekend, and plans on visiting friends and going to football and basketball games as much as she can throughout the next year.

Related Information:

• Holy Cross Blogs