Bakersfield College student Elizabeth Black, 22, is planning to become a nurse after she graduates from BC.

“I would like to be a nurse, but I’d like to be more specialized in cardiology or pediatrics. I want to be a nurse because I like to take care of people, and I love the science behind it all. Like, I’m really intrigued by our bodies, and I love to learn about how the human body takes this process and mixes it into our daily lives. And that’s why I chose my major as biochemistry.”

Nursing wasn’t always Black’s plan, but she always knew she wanted to go into medicine.

“Originally, I had my mind set on a doctoral degree, like a medical doctor,” Black said. “But when I had my son who is now 16 months old, and I realized I wasn’t willing to give up that time and attention to that degree. I decided I was still ok with just having a bachelors in nursing and practicing as a nurse.”

Black had a lot of health issues growing up, from ear infections to strep throat, to appendicitis, and took an interest in how the human body worked, which piqued her interest in medicine.

“I’m very nosey and I like to figure out how things like our body work,” she began, “and not in the ‘how does the door open’ kind of way, but like, how someone gets sick, and how the body fights back. And I was interested in how we all present ourselves, and how we all behave and how the environment affects us, because I personally grew up very sick, and so with being very sick growing up, I wanted to know what my body did and how I could help myself by changing my own behaviors.”

When asked what she likes about BC, Black answered “I originally came to BC from CSUB because it was more affordable, and everyone is here for the same goal. Like, it doesn’t matter what setting you’re in, as long as you have that mindset that you’re going to accomplish something that you want, and everyone here has that mindset. And so even though we’re a junior college, I love the people around me because they’re all very goal oriented.”

Black has lived in Bakersfield all her life and isn’t looking to change that in the future.

“I want to transfer to CSUB. I mean anywhere that has a good nursing program I’m okay with, but right now my prospect is going back to CSUB for a bachelors in nursing.”