By Xhaxany Cuellar, Assistant Editor
Over the 2023 summer semester, Cadet Alexia Brown, a senior Nursing major and MS-5 (super senior) in ROTC participated in the voluntary 28-day Nursing Summer Training program at Carl R. Darnall Hospital in Fort Cavazos, Texas. The program consisted of 156 clinical hours, where Brown participated in clinical rotations in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), ICU, Medical Surgery floor, and behavioral health unit. Since starting her nursing career at UMHB, Brown has expressed interest in working in the emergency department. During her clinical rotations at Baris Conway Hospital, in Temple, Brown stated, “I fell in love with it there, and then when I got the opportunity to do it again this summer, it solidified my decision of wanting to go,” Brown stated. She decided to join the program to gain confidence in herself and her skills. Brown has only worked in civilian hospitals and this was her first time working in a military hospital.” I got to see what my life is, see what my life is going to look like for the next how many years I want to be in the army,” said Brown.
When asked about what inspired Brown to do both ROTC and Nursing, Brown stated she was inspired by her parents. Both Brown's parents served in the army and she did junior ROTC in high school. Brown stated, ”I just knew in my soul, that's what was going to happen.” However, Brown did not consider nursing until her junior year of high school, where she participated in a CNA (certified nursing assistant) program.
Brown has a lot more to juggle on her plate than most students at UMHB. Being a cadet in ROTC, you must enroll in a three-hour course every single semester on top of a tremendous academic load. During Brown's sophomore year, she held the position of platoon leader and became commander her senior year. This requires mental and physical agility, which Brown said “tested my limits” at times. Brown participated in the ranger challenge, a two to three-day, intense, physical competition. In addition to the ranger challenge, every semester, cadets also do field training exercises, where the cadets go into the woods to train for two to three days at a time. Brown stated, “All of that, on top of also trying to excel in my academics, was the biggest challenge I faced so far being the ROTC program. ”However, every experience has made Brown stronger and a better cadet. Brown stated, “I've had an amazing experience, and so many amazing opportunities were given to me during this program.”
