Diane Dao

I first heard about the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) briefly during high school when I attended Montgomery Blair. I had been invited to attend a presentation about the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program, to which I applied to and was accepted. I was later re-introduced to USG by my ACES coaches during my second year at Montgomery College (MC). At the time, I had mainly been focusing on passing my prerequisites so that I could transfer into a nursing program, but I was unsure of where I would go next to complete my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. While at MC, I received a lot of guidance from my counselors and ACES coaches, who reminded me and spoke highly of the nursing program offered by the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) School of Nursing at USG. I was immediately interested and continued to work hard academically, and to demonstrate involvement in extracurriculars, in order to stand out on my application.

I wanted to apply to UMB’s B.S. in Nursing program offered at USG because I liked the fact that the program is one with direct nursing admission. What fueled my drive to get into the program was when I visited the UMB Medical Center, where a family member was hospitalized. Although I knew I wouldn’t physically be at UMB’s main campus, I wanted to be part of a program that I could feel proud being in, which is what I felt at their hospital

At USG, I have been a part of the USG Ambassadors and the Student Council. I have also been fortunate to be part of the ACES program and to have been involved in the University of Maryland Association of Nursing Students. Each of these organizations has helped shape and discipline me professionally. Each semester, I have been attending clinical rotations from certain classes to get experience and discover my interests. I have put newly learned knowledge into clinical practice and I have been fortunate enough to make a difference in many patients’ lives. Even though I had little to no prior medical experience, I believe the clinical rotations were enough to get my foot in the door and be professionally guided.

Upon graduation, in May 2023, I will be starting my nursing career on the observation unit at Suburban Hospital. I eventually would like to become a travel nurse after a few years of gaining experience, specializing in Labor and Delivery or Pediatrics.