Starting a New Journey

I broke the law.  My crime, in California it’s illegal to answer a cell phone without a hands free device, but when I saw area code 410 appear on my caller ID, that law was meaningless to me.  After telling my passenger, “*Bleep* it’s Johns Hopkins,” and managing to answer the call without dropping my phone, I heard the words that I had been dreaming of…Acceptance!  To say that I was stunned would be an understatement; truthfully, I had given up hope.  It’s been over a month now since I received that fateful call and I think that it has finally sunk in.  I am going to Johns Hopkins…. Johns Hopkins!

To be honest, I never thought I’d get into one of the best nursing programs in the country when I was applying. I first read and learned about Johns Hopkins when I was reading Patriot Games many years ago, and ever since then, JHU was placed on a pedestal in my mind. After turning my application in and watching the days slowly creep by, my anxiety awaiting a decision increased. Reading about others acceptances on student nursing forums only enhanced my anxiety.  I had almost given up hope by Mid-March, but as an eternal optimist, I had a single thread of hope left.  Finally, the call came!

Typing this first entry as I flew to Accepted Students Day has given me some time to reflect.  Three years ago, the future was bleak, to be blunt about the situation.  I had moved back to my hometown in early 2009 for a “promotion” but wound up in an environment that was extremely toxic, which began taking a toll on me.  For sometime I had contemplated returning to school and with sage advice from my Mom, I took the leap.  I quit my job and was accepted to earn my Masters in psychology.

Returning to school was THE right decision, but where to turn when I was done.  I had always loved working with patients, first in radiology and later in oncology, so I knew medicine was the right area, but what to do exactly?  I thought it out and after a life-changing moment in the ER following my sister’s first grand mal seizure, I knew that I was meant to be a nurse.  Having attended Acceptance Day now and meeting all the amazing people in the program, I can safely say that I can’t wait to start the program and join the Hopkins Nursing family!  I can’t wait to use this blog to share my journey with you all…