Jacob is a 2 year student in our MECN program and will graduate in June.  His undergraduate degree was in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing.  For Jacob, the call for nursing has been strong his whole life. He grew up around many nurses, healers and caregivers and was exposed to people who were suffering.  For Jacob, there is something very special and extremely sacred about spending time with a human being and their family in time of suffering and during a crisis that has always appealed to him. When asked what area of nursing he wanted to pursue after graduation he said: 
"After finishing my mental health rotation at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital as a nursing student, I completely fell in love with psych nursing. I was blown away by the skills of the nurses, the nuances of this specialty, and I ultimately felt a connection and an overwhelming level of respect and empathy for the patients that was impossible for me to ignore. I loved this experience so much that I applied for a Care Partner position and was lucky enough to get a job in the adult psych unit. Resnick exudes a level of warmth, support, and fosters an extremely healthy work environment that I am very attracted to. I hope to grow here and continue to learn about how to better serve this population. In the future, I hope to participate in research, eventually becoming a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and maybe even work in conjunction with mental health public policy."
Jacob also said that the most important thing he 's learned is "to trust my instincts and to not be afraid of who I am. The UCLA School of Nursing experience has been a catalyst in discovering and developing these instincts and has ultimately built the confidence needed to succeed in whatever comes my way." 
His nominator shared: 
Jacob is a student who has the rare ability to take theory to the bedside and proactively use critical thinking in developing nursing care in an exceptional manner.  Jacob decided from his life experiences that nursing was his true calling and passion.  He is a superb nurse who consistently strives to provide the best care to his patient.  Jacob is comfortable with diversity and all levels of socioeconomic backgrounds.  By placing patients as the focus of care, Jacob is committed to providing the best patient care at all times.  He has many strengths and qualities to offer.  He is a skilled, responsible, efficient, enthusiastic, and kindhearted individual.  Jacob consistently provides safe compassionate nursing care to patients and their families.  He is always eager to go a step further than expected and consequently made many collegiate connections with the multidisciplinary teams.  Moreover, Jacob always keeps a professional relationship with all staff and had an admirable attendance record. He is a very mature and responsible novice nurse!