17-year-old girl graduates US university before finishing high school, becomes the first Nursing graduate in her family

Imunique mentioned that her first assignment during the pandemic was working in a nursing home, noting that the assignment made her more cautious about COVID-19 exposure. 

“I knew maybe my immune system could bounce back but if I were to pass it to a patient they might not be able to survive. I had to keep myself, my parents, and the people I was taking care of in mind,” she said. 

She also added that she spent her time once a week, working at the care home answering call lights, helping the patients eat, moving around, and keeping them company while they were away from their loved ones.

Imunique said that at first, she was scared she would not enjoy the nursing program but she quickly realized, working in the nursing home, that she had it in her. “If I had let myself continue to tell myself I couldn’t do something, I wouldn’t have known and missed out on a huge opportunity,” she explained. 

She said that being a nurse helped her relate to patients, some of whom were lonely or in need of compassion. She mentioned that as a child, she experienced bullying, so she understands the feeling of having no one to turn to or feeling excluded.

” At first, I really did not want to go into healthcare. I thought I would be squeamish about the body fluids. I cowered easily to movies that featured blood and all these wounds. Even after I started the program, I still wasn’t sure. It wasn’t until I actually got some hands-on experience that I realized nursing is what I wanted to do,” she said.

She added that she was able to channel her energy into things she enjoyed learning, including mindfulness, a skill she took with her to work with her patients. 

“Even just stopping before going into a patient’s room and just breathing before physical assessments. I would take a deep breath and think about the steps in my head, and focus on the patient,” she said.

When Immunique began the program, she was part of a group of other Milwaukee Public Schools students, many of whom left due to various reasons throughout the pandemic. Now at the end of the program, she is the only one still standing.

She joined the Milwaukee Area Technical College nursing students at their graduation, earning her practical nursing diploma ahead of her high school diploma. Imunique was chosen by her colleagues to give a speech at their graduation.

“You always made me feel at home. All of us have persevered when we felt there was no strength left in us,” she said while giving her speech. 

Imunique mentioned that she will be pursuing her registered nursing degree in a pre-med program at Marquette University, United States on a full scholarship. She stated that looking ahead, she plans to become a doctor or medical practitioner.

“I want to keep my options open so that when I’m done, I won’t be able to say, ‘Oh, I wish I had done this [pre-med] because now I want to do this.’”