Meet Jessica

Name: Jessica Scheick

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Major: Nursing

Transferred from: Austin Community College

Expected graduation: May 2008

The Longhorn Connection

When I was six months old, my parents adopted me from South Korea. My father is a professor of English at UT Austin and my mother recently retired from her position as the awards coordinator at the School of Information. The UT campus has always felt like a second home to me because of my parents’ connection to the school.

Shifting Directions

When I decided to pursue nursing as a career, I already had an associate’s degree in an unrelated field (fashion marketing). It would have been easy for me to complete my prerequisites and enroll into another two-year degree program. I made the decision to apply to UT because I realized that having a baccalaureate degree would allow me to pursue a greater range of career choices and also provide me the chance to continue my education at a higher level.

How to Make It Work

Don’t let anyone else tell you what you can or cannot do. It’s easy to get intimidated when you are applying to a highly competitive program such as nursing. Several people told me that I should just give up and apply somewhere else when I started looking into transferring from a community college. I knew I wanted to go to UT, so I figured out how to make it work. I went up to UT during Explore UT and met with academic advisors to ask questions about what I needed to do to be able to enroll.

UT Opens Countless Doors

Being at UT has opened countless doors for me. When I was in high school I never really applied myself. I was definitely not an “A” student. I found that the high caliber of excellence at UT has really helped me to excel and pushed me to succeed. I’ve been able to take leadership roles in student organizations, had the chance to study abroad, have maintained a 3.6 GPA while enrolled at UT, and am about to be inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. I used to question whether it would really be worth it to commit myself to going back to school before I decided to apply. Now that I am almost finished with my baccalaureate degree, I am looking at graduate school and beyond.

Volunteering Opens Doors to the World

When I was accepted to the nursing program, I didn’t know a study abroad program existed for students wanting to enter the healthcare profession. I learned about the program through volunteering with nursing professor Dr. Alexandra Garcia. Dr. Garcia was leading the program and encouraged me to sign up. I was unsure if I could afford to go and actually had to quit my job in order to attend. I’m so glad I made the decision to go because living in another country is so completely different than simply visiting one. Through the program, I was able to live in Guadalajara, Mexico, and also able to visit Guanajuato and Puerto Vallarta. I met nurses from Mexico and had the opportunity to visit local hospitals, clinics, and neighborhoods. I had a great experience and would definitely recommend study abroad to every UT student!

Participating in UTNSA

My participation with The University of Texas Nursing Students Association (UTNSA) has provided me with the opportunity to become a leader at UT. Through UTNSA, I have been able to travel to state and national level conventions as an alternate delegate. I also had the chance to work with a diverse and wonderful group of students on projects such as “Longhorn School Bus” and “Adopt a Family for the Holidays.” I have made a lot of friends through UTNSA and feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate with such a wonderful group!

Send Jessica an e-mail at unclejessie@hellokitty.com