In honor of National Siblings Day, meet current and former CUW School of Nursing students Isabelle Shields ('23) and Shelby Stevens ('20), from Rock Springs, WY.
How it started …
Shelby: “I didn’t always want to become a nurse. In fact, I thought architecture was my life goal, and I actually started pursuing that. But I got very ill in my teenage years, and the care that I received during that time really influenced me to join the nursing field. I wanted to give back and give the care I received to others. So, here I am!”
Isabelle: “I’ve pretty much always wanted to be a nurse. In fact, I have a little picture from kindergarten or first grade that says, ‘I want to be a nurse.’ So. Shelby, she didn’t really influence me, but she definitely motivates me. We all visited Concordia when Shelby was looking, when I was in like 8th grade. Ever since then, I’m like, ‘This is where I’m going!’”
How it’s going …
Isabelle: “I really love Concordia. I love the community. I have a lot of great friends here. And I love the nursing program. I love how close my class is. It’s just a lot of help with the struggles of nursing school to have people who know what you’re going through at the same time, and are easy to talk to and all that. And the teachers, too. They’ve been really awesome.”
Shelby: “I just recently started a staff nurse position on the surgical specialty floor at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. My unit is so supportive, and there are some fellow Concordia graduates on this unit, so I feel like part of that group, there’s some familiarity. I wouldn’t say it’s my end-all goal, but that’s the beauty of nursing, you can do so many things with your degree.”
What they love about each other …
Isabelle: “The best thing about Shelby is her heart. She’s just great around people, so I aspire to be like that, especially in the nursing field.”
Shelby: “What I admire most about Isabelle is how she is so outgoing and positive, a bright and shining person. She can find the positive in anything and just go with the flow. Such a great sister!”
A family on the move …
Isabelle: “Our family is in Alaska right now; my dad is a Navy chaplain. We more or less grew up in Wyoming, where my dad was a parish pastor. But we moved to San Diego my sophomore year in high school when he went on active duty in the Navy. Now he’s with the Coast Guard in Alaska.”
Shelby: “People always ask us how we ended up in Wisconsin. I guess for me, my husband and I had just gotten married, and we both moved here and went to Concordia. The lake was kind of a selling point, too. It’s so beautiful here.”
Favorite shared pastime …
Shelby: “We share a love for ice hockey, and we skate together in a co-ed league at the Ozaukee County Ice Rink. We’ve both played since we were like 8 or 9 years old.”
To learn more about the School of Nursing at Concordia University Wisconsin, visit cuw.edu.
— This story is written by Mike Zimmerman, corporate communications manager for Concordia University Wisconsin. He may be reached at michael.zimmerman@cuw.edu or 262-243-4380.
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