What is your favorite Spalding memory?
My favorite memory at Spalding University was actually transferring from a different school to here. Everything was so organized and professional. When I needed the help or had any questions I was able to ask people, and within that same day I got the answer that I needed.

What accomplishments are you most proud of during your time at Spalding?
Graduating, of course! I’ve only been here two years to finish out my collegiate career, but graduating is something I am most proud of because I will be the first generation in my immediate family to graduate college.

What’s your favorite spot on campus?
My favorite spot would have to be the Egan Leadership Center, specifically the financial aid office, with the reason being that they work so hard behind the scenes to get everything handled without breaking a sweat. Also, I was able to gather valuable information about student loans and counseling from them as well.

At Spalding, we like to say that, “Today is a great day to change the world.” For many of our students, Commencement is a world-changing experience. After graduation, how do you plan to change the world, big or small, and who inspires you to be a #spaldingworldchanger?
After graduation, my way of planning on changing the world, big or small, would be to help reform employee rights within the workplace. I’ve learned the ins and outs of the human resources field, business ethics, etc. With the knowledge I have I will go forth and make sure that I will reach out to individuals that have been denied certain rights to get them the proper resolution they need in the workplace.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your Spalding experience?
My experience at Spalding University would not have been great if it was not for Jimmy Rowland, my academic advisor. When I first started I had a different advisor, who ended up having to leave, so I was assigned Jimmy. Jimmy literally jumped right into action; every question I had was answered. Every concern I had was turned around to a positive outlook. And his whole vibe sets the mood for it being “a great day to change the world.” Jimmy saw so much drive in me that when I first got there I didn’t see in myself right off the bat. However, he is very encouraging and down to earth and made being a student more enjoyable.

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Commencement Countdown | MSBC student Kelsey Gunther
Commencement Countdown | Art student Maddy Ezell

With Commencement approaching on June 1, Spalding is publishing a series of stories and Q&A’s that highlight students from a range of degree programs who are set to graduate. Next up is Kelsey Gunter, a candidate for a master of science in business communication degree. Kelsey previously worked as an admissions counselor at Spalding and now serves as recruitment coordinator at Assumption High School.

What is your favorite Spalding memory?
As simple as it sounds, my favorite memories are spending time with the people who make up Spalding – staff members, students and faculty. Enjoying lunch on the second floor ELC patio, walking to Ollie’s Trolley for some fries or celebrating milestones together. You will notice food is a common theme, but really it was the kind individuals that made these moments stand out.

What was your favorite spot on campus?
Anywhere there were free SteelCity Pops giveaways (smiling), or the Admissions Office. The admissions counselors are pretty cool people.

At Spalding, we like to say that, “Today is a great day to change the world.” For many of our students, Commencement is a world changing experience. After graduation, how do you plan to change the world, big or small, and who inspires you to be a #spaldingworldchanger?
Currently, I work at Assumption High School. I am grateful to have the opportunity to build relationships with these amazing young women and to lead and encourage the Assumption students as they discover who they are. I learn so much from them; their passions, dreams and aspirations inspire me daily.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your Spalding experience?
My advice to any student is get to know the people around you. You can make such an impact on someone just by being kind and sharing a little bit of love.

With Commencement approaching on June 1, Spalding is publishing a series of stories and Q&A’s that highlight students from a range of degree programs who are set to graduate. First to be featured is Madison Ezell, a candidate for a bachelor of fine arts in studio art degree, who is also a Spalding residence hall advisor and social media ambassador.

What is your favorite Spalding memory?
My favorite Spalding memory is when I got the opportunity to go to New York with a group of art students. On that trip I was able to see so much cool art, eat some really unique food and made so many fun memories with my friends. This trip gave me the opportunity to see so much art in real life, and I loved being able to get inspiration from everywhere I looked. Having the opportunity through Spalding to travel helped me develop my work and expand my understanding of art and art history.

What accomplishments are you most proud of during your time at Spalding?
I am most proud of the work I have put into my job as an RA. I feel like I have had the opportunity to constantly learn and grow through doing, and I have been able to develop leadership and organizational skills that I will take with me into my future career. I value the work I have been doing to help residents and to make their campus living experience better.

What’s your favorite spot on campus?
My favorite spot on campus is the main gathering area of the Egan Leadership Center. I have spent so much time with my friends there eating lunch and hanging out. It’s always a good meeting spot for us, and of course the POD is very close by if we want to grab something to eat.

At Spalding, we like to say that, “Today is a great day to change the world.” For many of our students, Commencement is a world-changing experience. After graduation, how do you plan to change the world, big or small, and who inspires you to be a #spaldingworldchanger?
I want to be able to bring art to people. I hope that once I graduate I will have the opportunity to expose people to art that will inspire them. I also want to keep making art that communicates ideas and makes people think about important issues. I am inspired by my group of friends because we help one another to create and encourage one another to pursue ideas. I think having a good network of supportive and creative people in my life has greatly contributed to my development as an artist and as a person.

For those with cancer or other acute medical concerns, a diagnosis comes with a whole new vocabulary. Medical jargon can feel like a different language even for native English speakers, and for those who immigrated from elsewhere, understanding treatment options can be downright overwhelming.

Spalding University senior nursing student Valentina Nikic experienced these cultural challenges firsthand when her father, who fled Bosnia in the 1990s, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015. She said her parents often struggled to understand what the doctors and nurses were trying to tell them, and that they sometimes felt disrespected due to their cultural differences. Though her father is now cancer-free, the experience stayed with her.

“At a very young age, I noticed that doctor’s appointments and hospital visits were scarier for my parents because of the lack of translators, knowledge and comfort,” she said.

Sadly, this was not the first time Valentina endured the cancer diagnosis of a loved one. In late 2011, when Valentina was a junior at Presentation Academy in Louisville, a man who had been instrumental in helping the family get settled in Louisville after fleeing Bosnia—and had since become something of a father figure to Valentina and her three older siblings—was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. He passed away within months.

“It was the first person I had lost in that way, and it happened so fast,” she said.

But through that dark time, Valentina once again found a bright spot in the nurses who cared for her friend. She recalls their boundless compassion and small acts of kindness that helped ease some suffering—not just for their patient, but for his loved ones as well.

“They were here for his close friends and family members too,” Valentina said. “They turned something that was sad and scary into something a little better.”

Now, Valentina is using those difficult experiences to change the world for patients and their families by offering them the same kindness, support, and understanding that she appreciated.

“I want to be that person that reminds patients that they can overcome what they are going through, or, if they are coming to the end of their life, make their last few weeks a little better,” Valentina said.

Valentina, who will continue her job as a telemetry nurse at Norton Children’s Hospital upon graduation this spring, said that she credits her Spalding professors for not only teaching her the technical skills to provide expert nursing care, but also for reinforcing the importance of connecting with patients as well. As a transfer student from a larger nursing program, Valentina said she appreciates Spalding’s smaller class sizes, and the personal attention she has received from her professors.

“My professors have put an emphasis on the fact that compassion encompasses nursing,” Valentina said. “I want to fully acknowledge patients’ cultural differences and include their translators so that they completely understand their medical diagnosis and recommended courses of treatment. And if they don’t, I want them to feel comfortable enough to ask questions.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPALDING SCHOOL OF NURSING