Fabiola Ramirez, ‘14

“I hope to inspire and be a role model for other Latinas looking to become nurse practitioners.” 

After Fabiola Ramirez ’14 decided she wanted to become a nurse practitioner, the next step was selecting the right school. Many students look at GPA statistics or location as an important factor, but Ramirez was searching for something else – diversity. While Yale School of Nursing (YSN) offered a great program, was prestigious, and had top-notch faculty, it also had unique students. 

“YSN has the only graduate nursing program where students truly come from different backgrounds,” said Ramirez. “This aspect of the program allows you to learn from other people’s perspectives and experiences.” 

With a bachelors of science degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and experience working at Procter and Gamble as a product developer, Ramirez set a goal for herself to take advantage of YSN’s opportunity to conduct research alongside a faculty member. She also hopes to acquire the skills to create change by providing quality comprehensive preventive care to anyone that needs it. 

Ramirez said her biggest accomplishment thus far at YSN has been learning to provide quality, compassionate nursing care in such a short period of time. Yale also provides plenty of opportunities to give back to the community. 

As a volunteer at Project Access, a nonprofit organization which provides specialty healthcare to uninsured patients in New Haven, Ramirez makes phone calls to Spanish-speaking patients. She also plans to get more involved with the New Haven community by volunteering at the HAVEN student run free-clinic. 

Her work with Project Access has helped her decide what she wants to do after graduating from YSN: “I hope to work as a pediatric nurse practitioner at a primary care center, preferably in an underserved area of the country,” Ramirez stated. “I also hope to inspire and be a role model for other Latinas looking to become nurse practitioners.”