Lucia Peralta’12 and a colleague in the clinicLucia Peralta’12 wakes up daily to a job she scarcely perceives as work. As a family nurse practitioner at a community-based clinic in Austin, 德州, 她的家乡, she and her colleagues treat acutely ill patients of all ages, 从新生儿到成年人.

“I’m surrounded all day by people who are working to empower patients to lead healthy lives. 这让我很开心. Plus, every day is different and engaging, I enjoy living in the same neighborhood as the clinic. I regularly run into my patients in the grocery store,” she reports.

When considering her college choices, Lucia knew she’d do better at a small institution where personal connections and 个性化的关注 能让她走上正轨吗.

Lucia Peralta’12, center, with colleagues at Dell Seton Medical Center十大菠菜台子 was unfamiliar before a college counselor suggested it, but a 校园参观 确认“就是这样.露西娅说 小类 and found faculty, staff, students approachable. “They were easy to talk with.” Plus, on 贝洛伊特的 small residential campus, she’d always have access to people. 贝洛伊特的 学生服务 were strong and programs supporting first-generation students, including 麦克奈尔的学者, enhanced 贝洛伊特的 appeal.

That’s not to say earning a degree from Beloit was easy. In fact, she reports that it was ‘the hardest thing I’ve ever done.“然而, when she graduated from Beloit, Lucia understood herself as a learner, 知道如何学习, could grasp and apply complex concepts. Nursing school “was easy in comparison”.

While Lucia struggled with some classes, faculty supported her. “兰詹·罗伊，我的。 数学 professor, sat with me after class when I wrestled with the material. We used a white board to work through proofs one-by-one until I got them. I think I nearly drove Ken Yasukawa, my professor for 生物统计学, to tears when he worked with me to make sure I didn’t fail the class. 最后，我得了个C. 但有些东西卡住了. 当我后来 社会统计数据，我做得好多了.”

Lucia Peralta’12 in a woodworking studio教授 西班牙语 西尔维亚•洛佩兹, who both taught Lucia and served as her host family, refused to allow her to underperform. “Sylvia made me rewrite papers over and over until I got things right. Later I realized she was trying to teach me to learn and to grasp concepts. My other professors were doing the same thing.”

Lucia was tempted to quit more than once, but, as she recounts, “Beloit doesn’t let you. The other students, advisors, faculty keep offering support and encouragement. They push you to reach your potential. 麦克奈尔的导演, 奥罗拉张, guided and supported me as I thought through various situations, brainstormed possibilities, made decisions about both academics and life outside the classroom. 虽然博士. Chang is no longer at Beloit, she is still there for me.”

Lucia does not think she would have received this kind of attention had she not attended 十大菠菜台子.

露西亚的专业是 西班牙语 而在 健康与社会, took courses in other fields, including 人类学、 社会学, 经济学, 工作室艺术. Today she continues to draw and has taken up woodworking. “Drawing allows me to process my emotions, making my own furniture gives me a lot of satisfaction.”She also continues to plays 网球, 就像她在伯洛伊特那样, coached by the legendary Bob Hodge, whose primary role at Beloit was teaching American 历史.

Lucia’s advice for current and future Beloiters? “Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone. College is a great time to explore and find your interests. I didn’t know I wanted to go into nursing before I came to Beloit. Nor did I know how to learn. Beloit gave me opportunities to explore 职业选择 and discard those that didn’t suit me, such as becoming a physician or researcher.

Beloit it taught me to love learning, I could be active outside of the classroom, working as a 居民助理, playing 网球, participating in 希腊的生活 by joining Theta Pi Gamma, or simply taking advantage of the many activities that took place on weekends. Take advantage of your Beloit education to find out about yourself and become a joyful, 终身学习者.”