Isabella Secchiaroli (Caitlin Cunningham)
Hometown: Milford, Conn.
Major: Nursing
Notable Activities/Achievements: Leader, First-Year Nursing Seminar; Women’s Club Water Polo (co-president and captain senior year); Campus Activities Board (CAB); PULSE; 4Boston; Appalachian Volunteers Program; Sigma Theta Tau international honor society of nursing; member, Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit honor society; Carol A. Ghiloni Oncology Student Nurse Fellow at Mass General Hospital.
Mentors: Sheila Tucker (Connell School); Kerry Reardon (Connell School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital); Lucy Shippee (Mass General Hospital).
Post-Graduation Plans: Will take the NCLEX licensure exam this summer and hopes to work as an adult oncology or pediatrics nurse in the Connecticut/New York area.
Secchiaroli’s interest in health care is personal—her father is immunosuppressed and lives with chronic illness—and she has seen the emotional as well as physical impact that chronic illness, and sickness in general, has on the whole person. She was drawn to a career in nursing because it combined her interest in working with people with her love for science. But BC has gone beyond her expectations—not only training her to become a compassionate and skilled nurse, but providing opportunities for personal growth through service, mentoring, and team sport.
How has BC made a difference in your life?
What originally drew me to BC was this idea of educating the whole person. The Jesuit values really spoke to me, as well as the service component. Another thing is the emphasis on reflection. That makes me pause and do things with intention in a way that I never would've. I've undergone the most emotional, spiritual, personal, academic growth of my entire life.
How have you incorporated service into your BC experience?
I tried to do service every year. It's hard to remain continuous in a service commitment because of my schedule with clinical and other commitments. I did Appa freshman year at the Cristo Rey Community Center in Lansing, Mich. It was a lot of cleaning, organizing, serving breakfast every morning, helping out in the food pantry. I also did 4Boston at Sister Mary Hart afterschool program in Roxbury. I’ve done two PULSE electives, as a mentor for a middle schooler through the Harlem Lacrosse afterschool program, and working at the St. Francis House foot clinic conducted by Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. That was such a good experience. It's really beneficial to serve people in that way. But even more so, I found myself having fun and listening to stories. It's allowed me to engage with vulnerable populations that you don't come into contact with when you're on BC's campus. Leaning into all those opportunities has made me grow and mature.
What has been your favorite clinical experience?
My favorite was my Adult Health II clinical at Brigham and Women’s. [CSON adjunct faculty member and BWH nurse] Kerry Reardon really helped me grow a lot through that clinical. At first, I was so hesitant and nervous. But she did such a good job of pushing me out of my comfort zone. I was able to hone my critical thinking skills and develop those strong leadership skills that I needed. It allowed me to see myself in the position of a nurse. On the other hand, she also called us out when we didn't know things. And that's really important because, as a nurse, you need to know your limits. That's one of the biggest things I learned: It's okay to ask questions. They want you to recognize that you’re a novice and have the humility to say ‘I don't know everything.’
Talk about the important place mentorship—such as being a leader in the First-Year Nursing Seminar—has had in your BC experience.
Something that's really important to me, a value I hold, is investing in the communities you're a part of. I found that seminar to be so incredibly beneficial my first year, so I want to give back to it. I joined CAB [College Activities Board] as sophomore. What I love about CAB is you're surrounded by people who deeply care about BC and want to invest their time in making it a fun and welcoming environment. This year, I was the assistant director to the mentorship programming team. We selected a group of 25 freshmen and integrated them into CAB and welcomed them into this community. We are also mentors and friends who are there to help them simply adjust to college. Giving back and investing in your community is really important.
What experiences at BC had the most significant impact on you?
CAB has been one of the most formative experiences I've had at BC. I also would have to say water polo. I found that I needed to have outlets outside of nursing, and water polo has been one of my favorite things at BC. We're a really special team. I didn't play water polo prior to coming to BC, but I was a competitive swimmer since the age of five. It's my little sisterhood that I've been able to be a part of all four years. Then I got the opportunity to lead it, which was incredibly rewarding. Last year, we won our regional championship in double overtime and our semi-final game in double overtime. And then we got to go to Huntsville [Ala.] for the national championship. It's really rewarding to work together towards a common goal.
What will you miss most after graduation?
I've made the most incredible relationships of my life at BC—lifelong friendships and relationships. But it's the one-off people that you meet in a club, or in your class. I will miss walking through campus and seeing them and saying hello. That is such a special experience. It’s that whole concept of Aristotle's idea of friends of the good—you learn it in your intro to philosophy classes or your Perspectives class. I found so many people of the good at BC. Obviously, I'm so sad that it's over, but the overwhelming feeling I have is gratitude that I've come here. It's been awesome.
Kathleen Sullivan | University Communications | May 2023