2025 graduate Hayley Hughes lived the college experience at full capacity, balancing her nursing program studies, resident assistant leadership and basketball – all without dropping the ball.
Born in Kingman, Kansas, into a family with health issues, Hughes said, “Nursing just really spoke with me, and I could make the most impact in people’s lives.”
After attending Hutchinson Community College for her prerequisites, she decided Newman was the next best step for her.
“Newman was one of the few schools that was willing to work with me and let me have both my dreams fulfilled,” she said. “So, I kept playing basketball and I was able to do nursing as well.”
She was a regular visitor to the offices of Associate Professor of Nursing Melissa Romaneschi and Director of Nursing Ashton Clarkson whom she credits for helping her get through her studies, she said.
“She had questions, and I was always there for her,” Romaneschi said. “We really built a relationship from mutual trust and respect, and a love for nursing.”
Nursing just really spoke with me, and I could make the most impact in people’s lives.
-Hayley Hughes
In addition to sports and studies, Hughes became a resident assistant during her senior year.
“I was able to make personal relationships with my floor and help students by being a resource they could come to for help,” she said.
While at Newman, she worked a part-time job at a small critical-care hospital in the area, and her career goals became clear.
“She wanted to be an ICU nurse, but she wasn’t sure where the best place to apply was,” Clarkson said. “We would discuss pros and cons of different units and what her future aspirations were.”
After graduation, Hughes made the jump from Newman student to nurse at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in the cardiac ICU.
“I was so supported throughout everything as an athlete and as a student from all directions,” she said. “I was so empowered to go out and take care of different patients, and I now have the knowledge to go do my job.”
Learn more about Newman’s nursing program
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program provides opportunities for students to experience a variety of specialties in the nursing field.
