From the Alumni Association • VNL Magazine

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. -Dr. Seuss, OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

Joshua James, BSN graduate and Alumni Association President My fellow alumni,

I love this quote, which perfectly illustrates the boundless opportunities awaiting you with a UVA School of Nursing degree. Your degree isn’t just key to the patient care you give; it’s truly your springboard into a world of possibilities.

While bedside care is the heart of nursing, it's also just one of its parts. The rigorous program each of us went through supercharges our critical thinking skills, broadens our perspective, and empowers our navigation along diverse career pathways. Many in our alumni community pursued advanced degrees, becoming nurse practitioners, clinical nurse leaders, and clinical nurse specialists. Others of us dove into research or clinical doctorates while still others leveraged their business and science acumen to find their way as administrative, policy, and pharmaceutical industry leaders (like me)—just to name a few!

READ about our 2022 and 2023 Alumni Award winners

K. Jane Muir (BSN ’16, PhD, ’21, MSN-FNP ’22, 2022 Decade Award)
Carter Hunter (BSN ’15, 2023 Decade Award)
Michael Cary, Jr. (BSN ’04, MSN ’06, PhD ’12)
Anne DuVal Frost (BSN ’64)

Duke University professor of nursing Michael Cary speaks at the April 2024 Alumni Association Awards luncheon at UVA's Colonnade Club as his proud parents look on.

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Carter Hunter, Alumni Association Awardee 2023 — Pediatric NP and alumna Carter Hunter (second from left) earned the School's 2023 Decade Award. Currently enrolled in the School's psych NP master's program, she plans one day to open an adolescent mental health clinic.

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Anne Frost, Alumni Association Awardee 2023 — BSN alumna Anne Frost (center), who earned the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2023, poses with her family.

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Jane Muir, and deans Fontaine, Cipriano, and Susan Bauer-Wu — BSN, MSN, and PhD alumna Jane Muir (second from left) poses with mentors Dorrie Fontaine, dean emerita (left), former Kluge Professor Susan Bauer-Wu (third from left, and Pam Cipriano, dean emerita (right).

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Michael Cary, Marianne Baernholdt — Cary (left) poses with Dean Baernholdt and his parents.

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Alumni award winners — Cary, Frost, Muir, Baernholdt, and Hunter pose together on the steps of the Colonnade Club in April 2024.

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Thanks to UVA, each of us is empowered to lead, no matter the program and pathway we chose. I’m so proud of the diverse and impactful careers my friends and fellow alumni chose, and I encourage you to support nursing students and new nurses by volunteering your expertise with the School’s Alumni Council or by making a charitable donation to the School.

By connecting with your School, you’re not only on the receiving end of helpful resources and mentorship (continuing education, library and research portals, and a vast alumni network of friends and peers), you also have a chance to give back by sharing your story and expertise with a new generation of nurses.

UVA School of Nursing provided each of us with a solid foundation so we could each forge our own unique path. Taking a tip from Dr. Seuss: may we never stop exploring, creating, and imagining. The world awaits your unique blend of compassion, intelligence, and the difference that shines in UVA-prepared nurses.

With warmest regards,

Joshua James, alumni association president, signature 2

Joshua James (BSN ’05)
DNP, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, CHC
UVA School of Nursing Alumni Association President
Richmond, VA
joshuajamesnp@gmail.com