I have wanted to be a nurse since I was like seven years old. I've always been the caretaker for any kind of relationship, friendships or otherwise. Right now I'm an online student. I'm in the RN to BS program. As a dialysis nurse, I work really long hours. Like, some days I work 15 to 16 hours. So on the days that I do have off, I can just spend the day doing work. You have the freedom to live your life and still learn. I think that you can do so much with that. To me, my UMass education means growth and learning more about the professional role of nursing. Not just clinical things, but how to lead your teammates and your coworkers. The UMass community is always sending me emails and my professors are always talking to me about opportunities. So it's not just what I'm learning in my classes, but it's still UMass community as a whole. This past August, my partner that I've been with for 10 years passed away. It was really hard for me, because I was in the middle of the semester and I was trying to juggle everything and plan a funeral and do my schoolwork, and all my professors were really understanding. And they would send me messages to check on me every couple of days to see how I was coming along and giving advice and I felt like they were really there for me. UMass makes it really, really easy to get your work done and to learn. And it's not just about preparing you to pass a test, it's preparing you to go into the workplace and actually make a difference. I'm Kearston Smith, online RN to BS, class of 2018. I stand for healthy living and I stand for UMass