Northern Marianas College nursing alumna Joy Lacorte recently received her Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice, or DNAP, from AdventHealth University in Orlando, Florida in April of this year.
“While I was sitting in the auditorium waiting to receive my degree, I felt a wide range of emotions,” Lacorte said. “I felt sad because our cohort had become such a tight-knit family, and that would be the last time I would see many of them. [Everyone in our cohort] had been dreaming of this day for a very long time, and we finally made it. There was an overwhelming sense of gratitude and joy.”
For Lacorte, the program was one of the challenging things she’s ever done.
“We had to make sacrifices that we didn't want to make if we wanted to succeed,” Lacorte said. “There were many moments where I would take naps in my car because I was so tired.”
Lacorte at one point had to miss her younger brother’s high school graduation because of clinicals.
However, she still loved her program. “I can undeniably say that all the stress and tears were worth it,” Lacorte said.
Lacorte received her Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from NMC in 2012, and her Associate of Science in Nursing in 2014. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, and was the president of NMC’s Nursing Club at the time. Her mother, another nurse, graduated from NMC’s Nursing Program in 2008.
After graduating from NMC and passing her National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), Lacorte transferred to Southern Adventist University in Tennessee to work towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Upon receiving her Bachelors, Lacorte was immediately accepted into the three-year DNAP program at AdventHealth University.
“We are very proud of Joy for this amazing accomplishment and cannot wait to see her make an impact in nursing and the medical field, whether here at home or abroad,” NMC Nursing Department Chair Rosa T. Aldan said. “The Nursing Program congratulates Joy for reaching this milestone and wishes her many successes in her future nursing career!”
For more information about NMC’s Nursing Program, visit www.marianas.edu.