Andrew Strucek always knew he’d be devoted to a career that not only changed his life, but that allowed him to change other people’s lives as well. Now he is well on his way as a Spring graduate of the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (A.B.S.N.) at the Hackensack Meridian Health School of Nursing and Wellness at GCU.
The intensive, 14-month program was challenging but Strucek excelled, earning the Richard Hader Excellence in Nursing Award for having the highest GPA, and he served as the class speaker during the Nurse Pinning and graduation ceremony.
The path to nursing was filled with a few twists and turns for Strucek who earned a biology degree several years go, but he realized there weren’t enough job opportunities that appealed to him. “I had jobs, but what I didn’t have was a career,” he remarked.
“What really got me into it [the health field] is a friend who needed some help with Brielle First Aid Squad who encouraged me to be an EMT. That opened up my path and my interest and medical knowledge only grew from there,” said Strucek who continues to volunteer on the squad. While working as a transcriptionist at CentraState Medical Center he got the next nudge on his career path. “My friends at CentraState were the ones who finally pushed me over the edge to go to nursing school and I have to thank them for being really helpful and encouraging me in this direction.”
Strucek looked at a number of nursing schools but said GCU was always his top choice. “I had a couple of friends who graduated from GCU and always said wonderful things about the program, saying that their world was their oyster when they graduated and how they were able to easily get jobs in the fields they wanted to be in,” said Strucek.
Becoming a nurse was a natural evolution for Strucek, who has always been committed to helping others. “It’s so satisfying to work with people who have a need, and you have the knowledge to attend that need, and at the end of the day you know that you made at least some sort of difference in the world.”
During the graduation address, Strucek made a point to specifically thank GCU and all the nursing school faculty and staff for helping him and his fellow students successfully complete this program. “I’m forever grateful for the amount of time that each of our professors were able to give us. They did everything they could to nurture us and make sure that we were given the tools that we needed to learn.”
Strucek is excited about the future for himself and his classmates. “Nursing is not a static profession, it’s a whole big world of opportunities. During my speech I told my classmates to envision their future success and to follow their dreams, and I truly believe that everyone in our class will be able to reach those dreams because of the beginning that they had here at Georgian Court.”
He added, “Georgian Court led me to having not just a job, but a career.”
