When James Sobieski came to Case Western Reserve, he was on the path to be an engineering major, no question about it.
Fast forward 5 years: James earned a BSN in 2020 from CWRU’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, with minors in chemistry and math. Today he’s working with a team of health care professionals providing COVID-19 vaccinations in California.
How did he get here?
Finding his fit:
James was sure he was an engineer and was on the path to a career in “aluminum, script and engineering” as he says. A chance meeting with CWRU’s volunteer EMS service, however, showed him that hands-on health care was his calling. “My journey led me to CWRU’s highly ranked Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing because it puts undergraduate students into direct patient care settings with increasing degrees of autonomy.”
Gaining support:
“CWRU EMS will always be my second family, one I would do anything for,” he says. He also credits his advisor as “a kind face and rational mind when I needed one”; faculty who “were always spurring me to take on the next challenge, to always ask the hard questions”; and those who “always saw the best in me.”
He remembers the constant love from his “Starbucks Fam” as well as the Einstein’s Bagels workers who encouraged him each morning as he walked past them on his way to his organic chemistry lab.
“I will cherish my time at CWRU because of the friendships and experiences I was able to create there,” he says.
Growing as a leader:
“CWRU’s nursing education will make you an extremely competent health care provider. Hands down, no question,” he says. “With strong foundations in core sciences, exceptional exposure to cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary practice, and an industry-leading amount of clinical hours, CWRU will help you face clinical challenges with composure and extreme precision. But CWRU doesn’t stop there. CWRU helps you build upon your soft skills, explore complex social issues holistically, and address population-based political concepts both nationally and internationally.”
As James learned well, studying nursing at CWRU positions you for success. And the world will be better off for it.