Alumni Spotlight: Gayon Earle CNR Cohort 2020
Gayon Earle began her studies in the accelerated second-degree program in the School of Nursing at CNR in the fall of 2018. After five semesters of intense pursuit of her long-time goal of becoming a nurse, and with the help of dedicated faculty and caring classmates, Gayon graduated from Mercy College in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She soon passed the licensure exam, and now works as a Registered Nurse in the Hartford HealthCare system at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Connecticut.“I have always wanted to be a nurse,” she declared. But her journey to that end took a circuitous route over many years. The closing of CNR after her second semester was just the most recent of many unexpected challenges that Gayon has turned into opportunities.
"This isn't a second, third or even a fourth career," she said, with a laugh.
First steps on the path were taken when her family emigrated to New York from Jamaica. At a Westchester high school Gayon aspired to become a writer, started a student literary magazine, and received literary awards then and in college. She chose Trinity College in Washington, DC to pursue her academic and career dreams on a small campus that offered a "strong experience of sisterhood." By taking advantage of the option to also attend courses at Howard University, she became one of the first women to graduate from Trinity with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. Her first job at a bank in the DC area led to an M.B.A. and valuable career and life skills gleaned from mentors and leadership programs. But she still had her eye on nursing.
"I didn't hesitate at any opportunity," she said. "If there were five marbles on the table, I looked under the table to see if there were any I may have missed."
Gayon learned of The College of New Rochelle from her aunts - Pamela Black ‘97 and Paulette Haynes ‘98 who graduated from the RN-BSN program in the School of Nursing. The beautiful compact campus, meaningful traditions, and close relationships with faculty reminded her of Trinity College. But there was one small hurdle to enrolling: although she held undergraduate and graduate degrees in business; she had "no science background at all." Pre-requisites for acceptance to the School of Nursing were courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, and psychology – all of which she completed successfully at Westchester Community College.
After only a few weeks into her second semester, the news broke that CNR’s doors would close that summer. "It was really traumatic," she recalled. No stranger to adversity, (she once accepted a job offer only to find a padlock on the door the first day she reported to work), Gayon decided to follow through and continue her nursing studies in the teach-out at Mercy College.
She recalls struggling with her first medical surgery course. "I had my moments," she acknowledged, wondering if her goal of becoming a nurse was unattainable. Fortunately, a chance conversation with a fellow student in the CNR library led to helpful changes in study methods and a greatly improved performance in class. Relationships created at CNR have endured. She stays in touch with her study group including that library friend who helped her get through. "The camaraderie is there, the unity is there," she said. “We went through a tough, high-pressured situation. We became each other’s support systems and encouragers. These are bonds for life.”
Gayon credits the combined CNR/Mercy nursing administration, several of whom are CNR alums themselves, with helping the 2020 cohort complete their program successfully at Mercy. "To have the professors stay on after CNR’s decision to close was very moving for me," she said.” I do not take their sacrifices lightly.” Gayon remembers the professionalism established by a clinical instructor who told her “Nurses should always have a stethoscope. I don’t trust a nurse who isn’t using a stethoscope.” She also remembers the faculty member who took time to teach her how to take a blood pressure manually, the one who went above and beyond, offering 6 a.m. review sessions to assist students, and the professor who encouraged self-care.
Now in a Nurse Residency program and working in adolescent behavioral health, Gayon is finally where she wants to be: "I am excited anytime I go to work." The residency offers support and mentoring to new nurses. Gayon is optimistic that this leadership training will be as valuable as the mentoring experiences she benefited from in her former careers and at CNR. "I have been so blessed to have mentors and a strong support system and I cannot say enough how grateful I am for this."
"Mental health is something people don't take seriously. It has been overlooked in the past." Asked what the future might hold, she said "I am very fulfilled at this moment. Reaching this goal has been more than I imagined and being here in this moment is abundantly more than I could have asked for. For now, I am enjoying the journey."
-Patricia Keegan SAS ‘73