Meet Brooklyn College
Shawn Simpson-Smith is a real trooper. Literally. When the United States military recruited Smith, a nurse, to work in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (better known as a M.A.S.H. unit), she jumped at the opportunity to travel the world attending to injured soldiers and other military personnel in some of the most dangerous hot spots around the globe. "If there was an earthquake, a war or some other kind of disaster, I've been there," says Smith, who has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, and Rwanda, to name just a few places. "Someone has to take care of the troops and I just felt the need to do something significant. Besides, I know how to shoot a gun and patch a wound so this combined my skills." But when the adventurous life began to take a toll on her body-due to injuries she sustained on the front lines, she says she could no longer stand for long periods of time and found that working as a nurse was becoming increasingly difficult-she came to Brooklyn College in order to start a new career in adult education. Smith, who already had several nursing degrees, earned a bachelor's degree in English in the spring of 2008 with a minor in Italian, which she chose because she says that Italy is her favorite country. During her undergraduate years at Brooklyn College she made the dean's list every semester, was a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, and a member of The On Course Advantage, or TOCA , a program that helps students graduate within four years. "This school has taken really good care of me," says Smith, 51, who now is a member of both the Italian-American Culture Club and the Italian-American Student Union. She also received the Center for Italian American Studies' first award for outstanding academic achievement in 2007, which was named after New York State Senator Martin J. Golden. "I've had the most fun I've ever had in school here," Smith adds. Born in pre-revolutionary Cuba, Smith speaks five languages - French, Italian, Spanish, English and Hebrew - and loves to read, travel and plays the piano and flute. "My parents always told me growing up that they did not bring me to this country to slack off and if I wanted to do that, they would send me back to Castro," she explains. "As a result, I learned to keep myself busy in order to stay out of trouble." She also credits her background with giving her an appreciation for the kind of environment she has found at Brooklyn College. "It really is the best bang for your buck," she says. "The academics are difficult and the college is very diverse. Here you can experience all kinds of diversity -- I'm talking ethnicity, culture, religion. It really prepares you for the world." She would know. |
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