The foundation.

My interest in psychology predates nursing by years. At OCC and through nursing school, I pursued coursework in human behavior not as a requirement to check off, but out of genuine curiosity about why people think and act the way they do — and how that shapes health outcomes.

That foundation directly informs my clinical practice. Understanding developmental psychology, trauma responses, and behavioral health doesn't just make me a better nurse on a psychiatric unit — it shapes how I approach every patient interaction, including in trauma and high-acuity settings where anxiety and fear are always factors.