Individuals come to the CNL program from an almost absurd variety of backgrounds:

"Nursing isn't any different; we all have to be on the same page."

Sarah Russell-Hunter (MSN ’25)

they’re arborists and artists, pastors and pilots, bench scientists, beer brewers, filmmakers, musicians, teachers—and more. Those varied backgrounds enrich the learning environment just as much as the courses they take. Plus, the intensity of a full-time, two-year CNL program also means that these students are nurtured and challenged together, becoming deeply bonded to one another in their nursing journeys.

Such is the case for Sarah Russell-Hunter, who earned an undergraduate degree in kinesiology and became a certified nursing assistant before enrolling in the CNL program in 2023. Russell-Hunter, a violinist since age six and member of the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, constantly draws parallels between nursing and music.

“I feel like there’s a lot of communication and mutual understanding that’s necessary in music when you’re creating something as a group,” she said from the roof of the house she rents with fellow CNL students Bisola Olowe and Justine Kaskel (MSN ’25). “Nursing isn’t any different; we all have to be on the same page, which means including patients, including family, about what’s about to happen so that it will make it easier for everyone involved.”

Pathways, Faces, and Places

• Learning to Lead (CNL)
• When High-Level Learning is Fun (DNP)
• A Do-Able BSN for RNs (RN to BSN)
• Daring to Dream (recruiting from high school)
• An Accelerated BSN (2-year ABSN)
• Diving into Clinicals (traditional BSN)