鶹ý

January 23, 2019
Life After Witt

#LifeAfterWitt: Brooke Tepe ‘18

Brooke Tepe ‘18 Discovers Perfect Nursing Path at 鶹ý

Brooke Tepe, 鶹ý class of 2018, found that she was at the right place at the right time during her campus tour of 鶹ý. From there, things just fell into place for the nursing major, who is now working at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center as a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Tepe, who is from Cincinnati, Ohio, did not know much about 鶹ý before deciding to attend.

“It took one campus tour for me to fall in love and know that it was the school for me,” said Tepe, who was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority during her time at 鶹ý. “Nursing became available my freshman year at 鶹ý, and it truly was meant to be. My original plans were to do an accelerated (nursing) program after 鶹ý, but having a four-year program made it a million times easier.”

A member of the NICU team for approximately six months now, Tepe is loving her job, which includes such responsibilities as taking care of the infants that come to her unit. Sometimes that means resuscitating babies from 22 weeks and up.

“My job is very hard but extremely rewarding, and there is no place I'd rather be,” she said. “I was well- trained at 鶹ý, but nursing school does not prepare you for what it’s truly like to be a real, licensed nurse on your own. What I was able to gain from 鶹ý was a strong, core basis of nursing skills. There are things I often look back on from lectures and skills lab that help me in my nursing career today.

“Since 鶹ý is a small, liberal arts school it allows for a greater learning environment,” she continued. “During my BSN classes, my class size was six (students). I truly couldn't have asked for a better professor-student ratio. Dr. (Cherie) Rebar and Dr. (Elizabeth) Sorensen are amazing professors and have been so supportive throughout my whole nursing journey. At other schools, class sizes are much bigger, and it is a lot harder to have a great relationship with professors. My professors were always pointing me in the right direction and setting me up for success. My nursing friends were my rocks, and they helped me more than they'll ever know.”

Tepe’s extracurricular activities also helped with the social and team aspects of her current career path.

“As a member of Gamma Phi, I gained amazing relationships with people I may never have met if I hadn't joined,” Tepe said. “On long days of clinicals or hard test days, my (sorority) sisters always had my back and were there to support me at my lowest lows. It takes a lot to survive nursing school, and if it weren't for those girls, I don't think I would have made it. My best memories from 鶹ý include my sisters! My friends were there to push me to do my best, but also remind me that I don't have to be perfect. I am a different person now than I was before 鶹ý because the people I met along the way changed me to be a better person.”

Cindy Holbrook
Cindy Holbrook
Senior Communications Assistant

About 鶹ý

鶹ý's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, 鶹ý has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, 鶹ý offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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