Senior reflections
Hometown: East Windsor, Conn.
Major: Nursing
Notable Activities: Assistant in the Office of Residential Life; a leader in the CSON retreat program SCRUBS; a leader in the First-Year Nursing Seminar; and Appa volunteer.
Shout-outs: Resident Director Serena Cook; From CSON: Associate Dean Colleen Simonelli, Assistant Dean Anya Villatoro, Associate Director Kirk Staine and Instructor and faculty advisor Dorean Hurley
Quote: “I would never change a single thing about my college experience, never. It was so incredible, so profound. It was the best thing for me.”
Corrado was an Undergraduate Research Assistant for Connell School of Nursing Associate Dean for Research and Integrated Science Diana Bowser where she worked on a research project that looked at how access to health care affects maternal and fetal mortality rates for immigrant women. Through two Connell School programs, Corrado was able to travel to Switzerland (University of Lausanne-HESAV) and Chile (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) to learn about health care from a global perspective. In Switzerland, she took a monthlong interdisciplinary elective alongside students from Europe that focused on public health. In Chile, she participated in a seminar and clinical observations of public and private health care settings
What drew you to nursing?
“I’ve always been interested in the medical field. I loved the idea of helping and caring for individuals and showing people that they matter. When I was 13 years old, I witnessed a really bad car accident. I was watching the medical professionals at the scene and how they were so calm amidst such a storm. It really pushed me into nursing. I wanted to be the calm during other people's storms and be somebody that helps.”
What’s been the BC difference for you?
“I never left the country until I came to BC. I was in a ‘New England bubble.’ Through my international experiences, I got to learn other cultures and meet other individuals and learn what health means to them. That’s so important for us as nurses because we're dealing with different people from all walks of life. In my Boston Children's clinical, we had kids from Saudi Arabia, Haiti, and all over. In order to understand how to care for these individuals, we have to first understand them, what health is for them, what makes them feel good, and what's important to them. Without that, we're not going to meet them where they're at. I learned to find commonalities and the small things that can build relationships. I learned how to make people feel more comfortable when they’re in a place where they are so uncomfortable.”
How has service been a part of your BC journey?
“I did Appa for two years. I went to Greenwood, South Carolina and we built a house with Habitat for Humanity, along with community members. Another year, I went to The Bronx and volunteered at a school and an immigration center. The work that APPA does is so incredible. It's very intentional. The way that they educate beforehand I think is so valuable to the experience. You go to meetings and learn about who you're serving and why things are the way they are. It's more than just service. We learn about the communities. We get to hear the community members’ stories, what struggles they are going through, and what resources are available to them. It’s had a profound impact on my life.”
What’s next for you?
“One of my favorite clinicals was Barbara McInnis House [Boston Health Care for Homeless Program’s medical respite facility]. I absolutely love the work and how rewarding it is. After hearing these patients’ individual stories, I’ve learned to give people more grace in this world. We all should be looking out for one another. Through that clinical, I learned a lot about how Boston handles its homeless population. We need to humanize the homeless again. We need people to understand that most of these individuals' lives changed in a split second. There is a lot of need. Working with underserved populations, whether it's at Boston Medical Center, Barbara McInnis, or some other Boston clinic, is something that I really would love to do after college.”