Pursuing a nursing degree is no small feat. But add to that a pregnancy and then caring for a newborn and you’ve really got your hands full.
That’s exactly what happened for Aliyah Good, a December 2022 Newman University graduate.
She explained that she and her husband had planned on growing their family for a while, and after a year of trying, it finally happened — right during the end of her nursing studies.
“Although the timing wasn’t ideal, it was perfect for us,” Good said. “I think having my baby girl right at the end of school gave me that extra push and made me finish strong.”
Gianna Jensen was born on November 10, 2022. Good even brought her to the nursing pinning ceremony.
Thankfully, Good had a textbook easy pregnancy, with no sickness or complications.
“I loved being pregnant and getting to experience that with all my friends in the program,” she said. “Several of the girls in my class say, ‘This is our baby!’ She has literally become a part of my nursing school family.”
Good is greatly appreciative of her professors, too.
“I was actually able to bring her to classes with me after she was born,” Good said. “I remember Director of Nursing Teresa Vetter holding her during class one day like it was nothing. These are memories I will hold near and dear forever.”
She added that Associate Professors of Nursing Melissa Romaneschi and Nancy Lugo-Baez were helpful in allowing her to do assignments from home and attend classes via Zoom after her delivery.
Another professor who deeply impacted Good was Rachel Cheek, whom she knew prior to Newman because they worked together at the Wesley Birthcare Center. Cheek, a midwife, was present during Good’s delivery but had to leave three minutes before the baby girl’s entrance into the world because she had to make it to Newman to teach her class.
“God bless this woman,” Good said. “She was awake all night and helped me make it through the laboring process. I know without her my birth story would be totally different.”
A unique nursing school journey
Good initially chose to pursue nursing because, like Cheek did for her, she wanted to make a difference. She started out as a certified nursing assistant, and, years later, returned to school for her certification in surgical technology. She worked in the operating room (OR) for a few years before deciding she wanted to have more interaction with her patients while they were awake.
“I know what a difference a good health care person can make, and I want to be that for someone else on their bad days,” Good said.
I know what a difference a good health care person can make, and I want to be that for someone else on their bad days.
Aliyah Good, 2022 nursing graduate
She chose to pursue her nursing degree at Newman because of its impressive pass rate of students’ board examinations.
“That really stood out to me,” Good said. “I also had a lot of financial assistance through Newman, so when it came down to the cost of it all, it was comparable to any other university in the area.”
Looking to the future, Good plans to pass her boards and then begin her new job at the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in its OR. She’d eventually like to work in labor and delivery again.
And when she looks back on her unique nursing school journey, Good knows without a doubt that she was able to juggle it all because of the people around her.
“I will always recommend people attend Newman because it is very rare to find a group of people who are so kind and caring,” Good said. “I had a massive support system that included family, friends, peers and professors. I know for certain I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of everyone around me.”
Earn a nursing degree from Newman University
Many graduates from our private university further their education as clinical nurse specialists, advanced registered nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives.
