Throughout high school, Jenna Guardino knew she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. In order to chase these dreams, she volunteered at her local hospital shadowing people working in occupational therapy and physical therapy. She quickly realized that those two paths, although amazing, were not for her. It wasn’t until later she realized she wanted to become a nurse.Throughout high school, Jenna Guardino knew she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. In order to chase these dreams, she volunteered at her local hospital shadowing people working in occupational therapy and physical therapy. She quickly realized that those two paths, although amazing, were not for her. It wasn’t until later she realized she wanted to become a nurse. Jenna has always had a close relationship with her grandparents. “Whether it was them picking me up at school, supporting me at my sports games, or just spending our free time together, I always felt so loved by them and felt so lucky to have them in my life.” As time went on, Jenna’s beloved grandparents spent a lot of their time in hospitals battling things like cancer and kidney disease. Because of their time in the hospital, Jenna grew familiar with their nurses and the incredible impact they left on her grandparents. Inspired by this, Jenna knew she wanted to be a nurse and impact lives the way her grandparent’s nurses impacted theirs. Jenna enrolled in Quinnipiac University’s Nursing program shortly after, where she recently graduated magna cum laude. Jenna was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, a nursing honor society that recognizes the top 30% of the class and Vice President of Intellectual Development for her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. Throughout her time at Quinnipiac, Jenna engaged in many philanthropic endeavors. Despite participating in fundraisers, her sorority, social life, and COVID-19, Jenna’s grades never suffered. In fact, Jenna claims that the chaos of her schedule led her to be more focused on her studies and got her to her VP position. As Vice President of Intellectual Development, Jenna’s role was to help her peers with the resources they needed to get on track academically. In this sage role, Jenna coordinated tutoring, administered study tips, and created academic plans to make sure the women in her sorority stayed on track to maintain their sorority’s GPA requirement. This was especially demanding during the height of the pandemic as students were shifting from in-person learning, to online, and then to a hybrid or in-person learning format. With her sorority, Jenna also spent her time raising money for a local women’s shelter. Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy is domestic violence awareness so, because of this, they host numerous philanthropic events throughout the year. Included in this are Frisbee Fest, Pie an Alpha Chi, and Walk a Mile, where participants walk Quinnipiac’s campus in red heels symbolizing the hardship that survivors of domestic violence endure. Another Quinnipiac fundraiser Jenna participates in is QThon. QThon is a dance marathon that raises money for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, a local Children’s hospital. It is a yearlong fundraising event that culminates in a 12-hour dance marathon. Jenna serves as Alpha Chi’s QThon chair, serving as communication between her sorority and the event. In this position, Jenna worked to help fundraise events, went to meetings, and coordinated ideas. Since graduating, Jenna’s plan is to study for her nurse licensure test, the NCLEX. Upon passing this exam and obtaining a license, she will continue her job search in hopes of accepting a position as a pediatric oncology nurse in New York City!
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