The spirit of caritas

Sophomore Lauren Trimble has known she wanted to be a nurse since her second year of high school in Acton, Massachusetts. After being accepted to Villanova’s College of Nursing, Lauren attended the Early Action Candidate’s Weekend and described getting “a feeling” that she didn’t quite get at any other college, “I loved the energy of the student body. I could sense the school’s community and school spirit. I felt happy, and could see myself coming to Villanova.”

Lauren is passionate about caring for others, and naturally was drawn to the nursing profession. She volunteered at Falmouth Hospital in Massachusetts over the summer, which further piqued her interest in nursing and a path towards really being able to make a difference in people’s lives. No one close to Lauren was at all surprised when she chose to attend nursing school, and it was a decision she made all on her own, “No one in my family is a nurse, so I am excited to be making my own path in the world. Most people describe me as caring and passionate, and I hope my patients will see that in me as well.”

Upon Lauren’s arrival to Villanova she wasted no time getting involved in the many service opportunities on campus. She is a member of Glamour Gals, a club that goes to local senior citizen centers to provide make-up and nail painting services for the female residents, as well as companionship. Lauren is a member of the Villanova chapter of the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania, and Nursing Without Borders.  For the College of Nursing she is an Ambassador and tour guide, and loves sharing her experiences with prospective students, “I hope that by talking to me they will understand how much we all love it here.” In addition, Lauren donates her time to RUIBAL, (a community service program with underserved schoolchildren) and had the opportunity to tutor a nine-year old girl in central Philadelphia, becoming both a mentor and a friend to her. She has participated every year in Villanova’s annual day of service, and always volunteers as a cheerleader for the Special Olympics held on campus each November. In her spare time, Lauren has been involved in intramural sports, and this year has joined the Outdoors Club in hopes of exploring the Philadelphia area further.

At this point on her journey to becoming a nurse, Lauren sees herself working in a pediatric or obstetric setting, but has a career goal of obtaining her PhD and working as a nursing professor at a university, “I want to prepare the next generation of nurses and help them gain the skills necessary to be the best nurses they can be. Throughout elementary school I wanted to be a teacher, however in high school my passion for assisting others with health issues became stronger. I would still like to work both goals into my life plan.” Lauren is also minoring in Spanish and hopes to travel to Cadiz, Spain this summer for six weeks to immerse herself in the culture. By gaining fluency in a second language, Lauren hopes to be better able to communicate efficiently with the Spanish speaking population in a future healthcare setting.