Tyler Azucena Pace

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Roanoke, VA
Junior
Major: Nursing in the Waldron College of Health and Human Services
Campus Involvement:
Quest Assistant with the Office of New Student Programs and student worker in Enrollment Management and Academic Affairs

As a high school student, Tyler Pace was faced with one of the harsh realities of life – seeing a person you love suffer through health problems. While she saw the impact of a cancer diagnosis in her mother, she also saw the care and compassion of nurses.

“I chose nursing when I was in high school because my mom was in and out of the hospital going through surgery and cancer treatments,” said Pace. “Seeing how good the nurses were to her really inspired me to want to help others like that, too. Her nurses made very difficult times in our lives better with every interaction we had with them.”

It was also around that time in her life that she first heard great things about Radford University’s nursing program.

“I was job shadowing an OB nurse at that time and all of the nurses would tell me how much they loved the student nurses that came from Radford University because of how prepared and knowledgeable they were,” she said.

Radford University’s reputation combined with Pace’s desire to stay close to her hometown of Roanoke, Va., made the university a perfect fit for her education. She applied and accepted the offer of admission before setting foot on campus.

“I’m so glad I took that leap because Radford is a perfect fit for me and the campus is beautiful,” she said.

Now in her second year as a nursing student, Pace is impressed with the faculty in her program, the campus community, and all the organizations and activities that are available throughout campus.

After she graduates, Pace plans to work in the United States for a few years. Her dream is to eventually work for Mercy Ships, which are hospital ships that travel around the coast of Africa caring for nearly 1 billion individuals who lack access to basic health care.