![\"sylvestre\"](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Sylvestre-300x200.jpg\")
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Life is what happens when you are making other plans, as many UConn School of Nursing students learn in the course of their classroom and clinical experiences. What makes a student a leader, however, is the ability to adapt to new circumstances and seize unexpected opportunities, a lesson not lost on pre-licensure student Victoria Sylvestre<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As a University Scholar in her senior year, Tory has risen to the challenge of developing a research program by rigorously pursuing her area of inquiry \u2013 investigating how people with type 1 diabetes straddle the line between ability and disability. Recognized as one of the most exciting undergraduate researchers in disabilities studies programs across the country, Tory was supported by UConn\u2019s Humanities Institute for her work. Earlier this fall, Tory spoke to fellow students, faculty, families, and donors at the annual Reflections of Excellence banquet about her personal and professional journey:<\/p>\n In nursing, we know comfortable shoes are essential, but finding the perfect fit in nursing has been a process for me. My introduction to nursing began with my first hospital experience when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age seven. At that point, I became interested in a career in healthcare, and I focused on nursing because I remembered nurses\u2019 dedication to comfort and teaching. As I grew and learned to manage my diabetes independently, it was the nurses who offered guidance and empathy. I wanted to be able to do the same for others.<\/p>\n Fast-forward to fall 2013. I found myself in UConn\u2019s introductory nursing class where it was instilled that, \u201cnursing is a calling\u201d and it \u201ctakes a special person to be a nurse.\u201d I was thrilled I had made it to the School of Nursing, on the path I had dreamed of as a child. Yet I was worried\u2014 did I really feel the calling to be a nurse? I continually wondered if I chose the right career, when months prior I was weighing nursing or engineering. I figured, if it were a calling, I wouldn\u2019t just think I wanted to be a nurse, I would know.<\/p>\n This nagging feeling that something was missing only became more prominent after loving a research oriented, disability studies English class and independent study. Then my anatomy professor remarked, \u201cAre you sure you want to go into nursing? You would do so well in a research program.\u201d I began to contemplate a change and what that would mean for my time at UConn. I approached one of my nursing professors about my dilemma. She responded with resounding confidence: there was no reason why nursing and research or empathy and science needed to be mutually exclusive and that really, nursing required both.<\/p>\n After letting out a sigh of relief (I\u2019m sure my parents did too) this led me to the nursing honors program and my current advisor, Dr. Ruth Lucas. I approached Dr. Lucas because of her connection to pediatrics, the field I was most interested in. We started on finding a research project at Connecticut Children\u2019s Medical Center that I could assist in; however, it did not include a focus on disabilities studies. I attended an application session for the University Scholar\u2019s program, one of the most prestigious undergraduate programs. I was immediately drawn to the emphasis on self-driven interdisciplinary research. As I was filling out the application focusing on the Connecticut Children\u2019s study, something didn\u2019t feel quite right. I had already worked in disability studies and could merge that with a nursing framework, but instead I was opting for research at Connecticut Children\u2019s that did not involve disability studies. After a long discussion with Dr. Lucas, we agreed that following my passion was important, and the University Scholars program was an opportune place to pursue interdisciplinary research.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got a lot to be thankful for. Through the program I was able to take a graduate research class and craft and implement my own research study. I couldn\u2019t be more excited about my qualitative research investigating how healthcare providers perceive adolescents living with type 1 diabetes and the providers\u2019 conceptualization of disability and its terminology. I can say I\u2019ve conquered the mind-boggling challenge that is the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which has to approve all research proposals. This past summer, through UConn\u2019s Summer Undergraduate Research Fund, despite some challenges I\u2019ve completed participant recruitment and begun qualitative interviews of healthcare providers working with adolescents living with type 1 diabetes. And I was thrilled about the opportunity to present my research in Washington, DC, at the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science State of the Science Conference.<\/p>\n While I don\u2019t know exactly where my career is going to take me, I now confidently know I\u2019m in the right place. Ultimately, why I\u2019m involved in both nursing and disability studies is embodied in the statement of disability scholar Margret Price: \u201c[care] means giving more when one has the ability to do so . . . . It does not mean knowing exactly what another\u2019s pain feels like, but it does mean respecting each person\u2019s pain as real and important . . . [and] taking for granted it should be understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nRecently awarded funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research for her summer research project, \u201cTory continues to rise to the top among a competitive group of undergraduate scholars. She represents the hard work and resilience of our students,\u201d states Dean Carol Polifroni.<\/p>\n