“I’m not trying to change the world. I’m just trying to make an impact one person at a time.”
Brooke Heche
Nursing is not what you do — it is who you are. Brooke Heche, the 2025 Presidential Ambassador Scholar representing the School of Nursing — embodies that truth. She knows that human connection and emotional support are essential to the healing process because she experienced it firsthand.
Nominated by Clinical Professor Audrey Rodriguez, MSN, RN, Heche joins five other students across the university's six schools who were recognized with scholarships for their outstanding achievements and leadership. The $5,000 award funded by generous members of the President’s Council gives scholars the opportunity to represent their schools at university and community events.
A life-changing hospital stay
Now a fourth-year nursing student, Heche was only 12 when she spent two weeks in a pediatric intensive care unit battling septic shock — so ill she temporarily lost her hair, her vision and her ability to walk. The physical strain was exhausting, and the emotional toll hit even harder. Lying in a hospital bed, Heche fought both physical and mental battles, but her care team stood beside her.
Heche met with doctors, respiratory therapists and technicians who all played a part in her healing journey, but it was the nurses who became a constant presence at her bedside. Delivering comfort and support while coordinating care and advocating on her behalf, the nurses opened her eyes to a career in healthcare. Recovered and healthy, Heche continues to follow the path she discovered while in that hospital room – becoming a nurse.
“I want to be a nurse and give back to others as they did for me, because without them I would have crumbled.”
Brooke Heche
Shaped by service, guided by gratitude
Heche has always known the destination for her career path, but becoming a first-generation college graduate and nurse is a journey that requires guidance and mentorship. Looking for direction, she joined the United States Air Force at 18, serving six years at Lackland Air Force Base as a medic. That experience became the steppingstone that led her to the School of Nursing, where she now dedicates herself to her studies and to helping others along the way.
Heche is paying it forward as a mentor in PALS (Peer Assisted Learning Sessions) program, helping classmates who are struggling academically and reminding them they belong, just like she does. The sessions have been shown to increase student success and reinforce the idea that sometimes all a struggling student — or patient — needs is a caring connection to keep going.
Her opportunities to advocate have grown even more since becoming an ambassador scholar. As a first-generation college student, Heche is grateful to the donors who make this scholarship possible, noting that it’s been the extra support she needed on her journey to becoming a nurse. She values the opportunity to represent the School of Nursing — to advocate for the profession of nursing and engage with the community she loves.
“I’m not trying to change the world. I’m just trying to make an impact one person at a time.” - Brooke Heche
Heche carries the core military principle of “no one left behind” into her studies and personal life, hoping to give back the guidance and support that helped her succeed.
