Next step: critical care oncology nurse at the Ohio State University James Cancer Hospital
Isabella Orofino has figured out her life’s purpose: to care for others.
While many nursing majors are driven by a similar motivation, Orofino was deeply impacted by nurses who have provided outstanding care to her family members. “I want to be that difference maker,” she says.
When she was in high school, Orofino believed a large university would offer her more opportunities for leadership and success. Yet she chose ONU because she liked the friendliness of the people and the personal attention a smaller university can provide. After a few months on ONU’s campus, however, she realized her ‘bigger is better’ presumption could not have been more wrong.
“At ONU, the opportunities were so plentiful that I quite literally had a hard time saying ‘no’ to all the great experiences I did not have time to fit into my schedule,” she says.
Orofino played varsity golf, served as vice president of the Student Senate and took on leadership roles with her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, to name a few. She appreciated that her professors went above and beyond to enable her to juggle clinicals and exams with golf practices and meets.
“They encouraged me and really wanted me to succeed,” she says. “I also loved the small classroom environment, where I was able to ask questions and get the one-on-one help I sought.”
Encouraged by her parents to “be like a sponge” and soak up knowledge and experiences, Isabella explored different fields of nursing and delved into self-care and wellness topics, from essential oils to gua sha to yoga and meditation.
“I’ve always been an individual who needs to stay busy,” she says.
And even though ONU is located in a rural area, Isabella still found “a million things to do.”
“But what I loved about ONU is that when all is said and done, I still had the environment I needed to relax and take a breather. Plus, I was part of a school where people cared so much about me.”