Spotlight
Finding the Missing Piece: Claire Nielson’s Freshman Experience
After returning home from her mission in Brazil, Claire Nielson (‘28) had doubts about where to continue her undergraduate studies. Two weeks before the Fall 2024 semester started, a friend introduced her to Southern Virginia University, and Nielson felt the pieces fall into place.
“Everyone around me was going to Utah, so I figured I would too, but it just wasn’t feeling right for me,” said Nielson. “When my friend, whose parents met at Southern Virginia and who has siblings here too, told me about the school, I remember thinking that it was the perfect place for me. And when I visited, I felt that missing piece that I wasn’t feeling about Utah. And the longer I’m here, the more I realize that I belong here.”
Nielson completed a year at Grand Canyon University before her mission, pursuing her childhood dream career as a nurse. Now, with plans to become a doctor, she has participated in RAM clinics and JustServe on campus, worked as a nurse aide, and served in Africa over the summer on a medical mission.
“It was a surgical mission, and it was so fun,” said Nielson. “We had limited resources and volunteers, so they let me scrub it and assist with these surgeries, and it was so amazing. Since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. My parents are burn survivors, and I think it’s a calling that I have in my life. But the more I worked with nurses as an aide, the more I realized it wouldn’t be enough for me.”
“So that trip just solidified my decision to be a doctor,” Nielson continued. “I was a little bit intimidated by the commitment, but those experiences made me realize that this is what I want to do. Since then, everything has fallen into place, and Southern Virginia was the last missing piece in bringing it together. I’ve got a long way ahead of me, a lot of work, but I’m excited.”
Preparing to complete her first semester at Southern Virginia University in a few weeks, Nielson has built confidence in her academics due to her professors’ teachings and encouragement in difficult classes.
“My professors are awesome,” said Nielson. “I love all my classes, even the topics I’m not great at. Dr. Van Kuiken and Professors Bouchelle and Cheney have really helped me in those harder classes and given me great advice for my career. I’ve been getting very individual, personalized help, and I just feel very supported.”