Cornerstone Experience Presentation (Nursing Role Introduction)

This blog is devoted to an assignment for my Nursing Role Introduction course. For our second class, each of us are to do a five minute presentation answering the following questions:

1. Who am I?
2. What culture do I identify with?
3. What makes me unique?
4.. What strengths do I bring my fellow classmates and the Loretto Heights School of Nursing Program?
5.. What am I going to do to take care of myself and my classmates while a student?

Who am I? I am in no particular order a daughter, fiancee, sister, climber, nursing student, volunteer, Boulder Community Hospital employee, mother of a pitbull, advocate, nature lover, believer in peace, environmentalist, vegetarian, explorer, and a spiritual being.

I do not identify with any particular culture. I am American. I sometimes feel bitter about not being affiliated with any particular culture. Other times, I feel very free because I do not identify with any particular culture. I love all foods, am free to celebrate many holidays, believe in reincarnation, karma and Eastern medicine, but I also celebrate Christmas, believe in a higher power, and that all religions believe in essentially the same things.

What makes me unique? Well, I consider myself inter-religious, have spent over two years in a sleeping bag, was almost killed by a cow during my short-lived dabbling in virushunting and consider myself to be failry spontaneous and adventurous.

I believe the strengths I bring to the program include a very open attitude about people. I am human and have judgmental moments, but I have also had many life experiences which have prepared me for a career involving diverse interactions with fellow nursing students, instructors, patients and advisors. I am a mostly optimistic person, somewhat organized and dedicated.

To take care of myself while in the nursing program, I plan to maintain my sanity by setting aside time each week to train, continue rock climbing and set a goal to have "date night" once a month with my fiance Eric. I also set aside at least ten minutes every morning for meditation.
For my classmates, I'm willing to teach people to climb! I've taught a number of people, and believe that it is an amazing form of prevention to many health related problems. Anyone can learn to climb! Even those with fear of heights!


Eric, myself, Eric's brother, Troy, in the far right picture. Our two-and-a-half year old pitbull, Peanut in the center picture. She's a lot of time and work, but she's worth it!



Eric, my fiance, on a boulder problem in Bishop, California (Bubba Gump, V10).



HERA Climb 4 Life is a non-profit women's cancer foundation raising money to help educate and empower women whose lives have been affected by ovarian cancer.

This photo is the second year I have participated as a pro volunteer with Evolv climbing shoes to teach new climbers who have donated their time and energy to raise money for research, support, and community awareness. Here I am belaying a new climber at the Boulderado Wall in Boulder Canyon.

This photo was taken at Lower Chaos Canyon in Rocky Mountain National Park. Early in the season, climbers hike through many feet of snow to get to the boulders to climb in cool temps. This is Lake Haiyaha, always glorious, and especially picturesque with snow!This is a view from a campsite on one of my trips to Squamish, British Columbia. This is the Stawamus Chief, also know simply as, the Chief. It is a 2000' monolith, requiring climbers an entire day of light to climb up it.

Hueco Tanks State Park is located 32 miles northeast of El Paso, Texas. It is here that I've spent five months camping. During this time, I have resided in the campground pictured below, also known as "The Rock Ranch," popular to many climbers from around the world.

The tent pictured below was missing an entire panel from it's rain-fly. I used a garbage bag and a roll-and-a-half of duct tape for repairs. This quick-fix lasted withstood a number of dust storms as well as the occasional rain and even snow showers for three months!



The rock art on this page is from North Mountain in the park. These masks were left by the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon culture. A day of exploration into slots, crevaces, and narrow passageways reveals some of the more than 200 rock art drawings in the park.