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Tasmin George didn’t plan on becoming a nurse. But caregiving kept pulling her back to it.

After earning a chemistry degree, she returned to New Orleans to care for her grandmother, who was living with diabetes and a double amputation. She worked full time while supporting her at home and found purpose in the process.

“My cousin is a nurse, and it looked pretty fulfilling,” she says. “Especially when you’re able to help and make a difference in a patient’s life. I just felt like I needed something like that.”

That pull led her to Delgado Community College’s Charity School of Nursing. After earning her associate degree, she returned to Georgia and started her career in a level-one trauma intensive care unit.

She eventually transitioned into case management, where she started to hear the same message again and again: to advance, you need a bachelor’s degree.

“Everyone kept talking about needing your bachelor’s to move up or get certified,” she says. “And to be honest, I felt complacent. I was working and making good money, so I didn’t feel the pressure to change it.”

But stories from her cousin and best friend — both graduates of UL Lafayette’s online RN to BSN program — got her thinking. Their experiences gave her the push she needed.

She enrolled and, despite the challenges ahead, found the flexibility and support she needed to continue moving forward.

During the program, George’s father was diagnosed with leukemia and Alzheimer’s. Caregiving once again became the center of her world and balancing it with coursework wasn’t easy.

“I was turning in assignments right before the deadlines, but the professors have been so patient,” she says.

“Dr. Fox-McCloy even video chatted with me reassuring me she’s on my side and that she’d do anything she can to help after finding out about my dad. If it wasn’t for her support, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

That support helped her persist and reflect on what kind of nurse she wants to be. One of her favorite courses, NURS 421: Nursing Leadership and Management, helped George rethink patient care and her future.

“That class showed me the type of leader I want to be, and who I don’t want to be,” she says. “Even in a leadership role, you’re still part of the team. That mindset has helped me speak to patients and families in case management. I sit down, eye to eye, and talk to them. That connection matters.”

Now a registered nurse case manager, George helps patients transition home safely — coordinating hospice, equipment, or long-term care with compassion and a deep respect for each patient’s journey.

With commencement just weeks away, she’s already begun thinking ahead.

“This program gave me the confidence to look into MSN or Family Nurse Practitioner programs. It showed me I still have the time to do classwork while working full time. I’m not afraid of it anymore.”

Take the next step in your nursing career with UL Lafayette’s RN to BSN online program.