Tanya's story

I was born in Santa Barbara, California.  Growing up, I split my time beteen Santa Barbara and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989.  I attended the College of Marin and graduated with an Associate of Science in Nursing.  I worked for the next 16 years as a Labor and Delivery  and Emergency Department Nurse.  With my daughter grown and gone off to college, I chose to relocate permanently to North Idaho to be closer to my parents and I took a job at Northwest Urgent Care. I returned to school at Western Governors University and received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May of 2023.  A few short months later, I entered the Doctorate of Nursing program at Idaho State University.  

I can't say that I always wanted to be a nurse (when I was little, I wanted to be a cowboy!), but as soon as I started nursing school, I knew that it was all I would ever want to be.  After 18 years in the field, Im so excited to be embracing the challenge of a Doctoral edcuation.  Idaho State University is the perfect fit for me, with it's emphasis on care in rural and other underserved communites.