CU Nursing - Spring/Summer 2020 - 22

BY THE NUMBERS
187 Graduates in the
Following Programs:
89 UCAN (accelerated)
19 RN-BS
3 Traditional

G R A D U AT I O N

47 MS
19 DNP
1 PhD

D E C E M B E R 2 0 19

9 Post Graduate Certificates

"The Details of
My Life Are Quite
Inconsequential...
Very Well, Where
Do I Begin?"
- AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY

By Dana Brandorff

eacher. Waiter. Insurance Agent. Yoga Instructor.
Massage Therapist. CNA. And, nurse. If it seems
as if Alex Wilson has led an interesting life, you'd
be right.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in
Classical Studies from Colgate University in
the 1990s, Wilson taught English in China for
a few years. He then returned to the United States, where he
waited tables, followed by a turn as an insurance agent. These
"series of bad decisions," as he calls them, have all made him
who he is today.
In the mid-2000s, he earned his CNA and began working for the
Veteran's Administration (VA) from 2008 to 2012. He took a break
and taught yoga. In 2014, "I re-evaluated where I was and decided
I couldn't make it as a yoga instructor/massage therapist." So,
he returned to the VA and decided to pursue a nursing degree
through the UCAN program.
The VA sponsored him in school and through a little known
initiative titled the National Nursing Education Initiative

CU College of Nursing | Spring/Summer 2020

LOONS founder
Alex Wilson displays
the art that fellow
student Chelsea
Triolo created for
the organization

and the VA National Education for Employees
Program, Wilson graduated with minimal debt.
The program paid his tuition and his salary during
nursing school. All he has to do is work for the VA
for the next three years. "I really like the VA. The
nurse-to-patient ratio is low, so we can spend a
lot of time caring for our patients."
According to Wilson, "It's been an interesting life,
not necessarily an intelligent run."
But that's what makes Wilson unique. He brings
a seasoned perspective to the program. One that
includes a sense of humor and maturity.
As one of a dozen students over the age of 30 in the
program, he founded the League of Older Nursing
Students, also known as LOONS. The group supported each other during the program. "It's hard
to come back to school when you're a little older.
Learning how to learn and take tests is a skillset that
you can lose over time," said Wilson.

CU Nursing - Spring/Summer 2020

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