Family has an important place in Tierre Drane’s life. When she was graduating high school, Drane selected UNM over other colleges because she wanted to stay close to her family. Drane, currently a Health Education major in the UNM College of Education, is honoring her grandmother’s memory by preparing to apply for UNM’s nursing program to become a nurse after she graduates college.

“My grandmother was a big influence on my life, she was really like my second mother. She helped my mom raise me. She was sweet and kind, and she helped everyone who was in need. The reason I decided to go into nursing was to be like my grandmother, who was a nurse when she was younger. I wanted to help people out the way she did.”

Drane has many of the same traits as the grandmother she speaks so fondly of. A former volunteer at a domestic violence shelter and youth church instructor, Drane was inspired by the positive spirits of the children she worked with, and decided the best way to honor their energy, and her grandmother’s hard work, would be helping others as a pediatric nurse.

“I want to be a pediatric nurse because I love kids. I used to volunteer at a shelter and I would help take care of the children. I used to teach youth church and I babysit as well. I fell in love with kids, and I wanted to be able to help them feel better.”

And when life or classes get too overwhelming, Drane takes a few moments to remember her grandmother’s advice.

“She said to always keep trying, and never give up. You just keep trying and trying until you succeed. I know she would be proud of me being in college and going into nursing.”