Senior Nursing Major Focuses on Community, Diversity, and Social Justice

November 15, 2019 – Morgan Robinson (NHS’20) is pursuing her BSN at Georgetown, a place where she has been a leader in the Black House and has focused her energy on community advocacy, diversity, health education, and sexual assault prevention. She says studying abroad in Australia was a highlight of her undergraduate education, and she hopes to use her career path to further develop her passions.

Question: Where did you grow up, and how did you discover Georgetown?

Robinson: I call Atlanta home. I will argue until the end of time that it’s the best city on Earth, but I’m open to hear rebuttals. Though when I began my college search, I knew that I wanted to spread my wings and venture into a new city, which is how DC came to be. I actually didn’t plan on originally applying to Georgetown until after I went on a marathon college tour my junior year of high school. When we visited campus, I instantly fell in love and called my mom to gush on the phone about how I found my “dream school.” The next thing you know, here I am beginning to end my time at Georgetown.  

Question: How have you enjoyed Georgetown?

Robinson: Georgetown has been an absolute rollercoaster for myself, from the best of times, the worst of times, the joyful, and the challenging. I credit the folks I’ve come in contact and have crafted lifelong relationships with at Georgetown, because without their love and support, the journey would be even more difficult. 

I am grateful for the places far and wide Georgetown has allowed for me to go, as well as the relationships I’ve been able to build with a number of my clinical instructors. My highlight in nursing was studying abroad in Sydney, Australia my junior fall. It was the best five months of my life, and I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to match my time there, including the chance to engage with Australia’s health care system.

Mostly, I feel fortunate (and slightly amazed at myself) that this journey into such a selfless and fruitful career as nursing is right at my fingertips.

Question: Tell us a little bit about your time at Georgetown, including your activities.

Robinson: I’ve done many activities here at Georgetown, but there are certain ones I’ve poured much of my love into. I started off my first year participating in a pre-orientation program called Young Leaders in Educating About Diversity (YLEAD), in which I then served as a peer leader both my sophomore and senior years. I’ve also been a member of SAPE (Sexual Assault Peer Educators) since my first year. I have done a lot of work surrounding sexual assault prevention. I lived in Black House my junior spring semester, and I work at Health Education Services. This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but if I could say anything about what I’ve done at Georgetown, it’s been centered around community advocacy and care and social justice.

Question: What kind of work did you do as marketing and outreach coordinator with the Black House?

Robinson: I cherished the semester that I did serve as a resident in spring 2019. Black House sits on so much student history and activism, so between myself and my housemates, it was neat to have a hand in crafting the house for the year. Aside from sending out our weekly newsletter and creating flyers for events, a lot of my duty was to maintain the presence of Black House as a safe space for Black (and other marginalized) students on campus. Sometimes that would mean hosting a self-care night or just being present for the community. 

Question: What are you thinking about after Georgetown?

Robinson: That’s such a great question! As of right now, I’m still narrowing my options while also recognizing that the field of nursing has a slew of paths to choose from, but I hope to stay local to DC. Long term, I would like to combine my passion for sexual assault prevention with nursing and become a forensic nurse and/or SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner). 

But in the short term, I would love to be in a setting that is trauma-informed and community-oriented. I’m also entertaining the option of travelling and living outside the United States to practice, so we’ll see where the world takes me!