Alumni Spotlight
Kristin Magnussen
"The University of Hartford gave me a renewed sense of pride and purpose in nursing," says Kristin Magnussen who recently completed a Masters in Nursing Education. "I've been a nurse for 35 years, and this is the best I've ever felt about myself and my profession."
Magnussen was an outstanding student, winning a Regent's Award for academic excellence. "I'm already well-established in my career, so getting the Master's was a personal goal of mine," she says. "I realized I could do as much or as little work as I wanted, but the program was so exciting and the professors were so inspiring that I always went above and beyond what was required."
"I also felt much closer to my fellow students than I ever did as an undergraduate, even though we were all working full time while we were taking classes in the evening. That was a tremendous motivating factor as well."
Magnussen also excelled outside the classroom. She was one of 11 students chosen for the first exchange program between the University of Hartford and the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing at King's College in England. "It was a wonderful experience to compare our program to a world class nursing institution," she says. "It made me realize we're getting the same high-caliber education at the University of Hartford."
The Masters program was also a personal transformation for Magnussen. "One of our projects was developing a grassroots campaign on environmental health issues. We developed curriculum and the Connecticut Nurses Association invited us to make presentations at hospitals and nursing schools all across the state." She has continued spreading the word on environmental issues since graduating, speaking at seminars and community groups, and publishing on the topic. She was recently honored by the Luminary Project for her promotion of health and environmental awareness.
"It took me 35 years, but I finally realized I can do anything that I set my mind to. And that's truly an amazing feeling."
