About Me
My name is Gareth Usac and I am a nursing graduate from Dominican University. I attended a charter high school in San Jose, California called University Preparatory Academy. Throughout my four years of high school, I maintained a 3.78 GPA while taking a total of 5 AP classes. I also played on the varsity basketball team for all four years. During my senior year, I self taught myself to play the ukulele and guitar. The summer before heading into Dominican University, I taught myself how to use a camera and the basic principles of photography.
I choose to attend Dominican University because of the nursing program and the atmosphere reminded me of my high school. Dominican University has a tight-knit student population that supports and encourages one another to succeed. In order to prepare myself for my future career, I felt compelled to undertake any opportunity that dealt with the medical field. For my senior project in high school, I decided to research what high school students in San Jose can do to make children’s hospitals more comfortable for pediatric patients.
At Dominican University, I plan to stay in the honors program and graduate with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. I chose nursing as my future career because I have many relatives that have been hospitalized in the past and have had multiple surgeries. While at their bedside, there was a part of me that wanted to do more. I wanted the responsibility of mentally prepping my aunt for her surgery or comforting my cousin while I wheeled her over to the next building. I truly believe that it’s my caring nature that continually motivates me to want to help others who feel scared or helpless.
While at Dominican University, I hope to take advantage of all the university has to offer such as internships, service learning opportunities, and clinical studies. I was enrolled in ENGL 3200: Advanced Writing and Research which is a Service Learning class. Through this class, I get the opportunity to volunteer at Marin’s Community School and act as a tutor for middle school and high school students. Throughout the next four years, I hope to continue to take advantages of resources like this as I enjoy helping others. When I graduate in four years, I hope to look back at this university and know that I will be able to make a difference in the lives of others.