My CBU Story – Natalie Forgeron

This weekend will be doubly exciting for CBU student Natalie Forgeron, who will be receiving not one, but two university degrees as she crosses the stage at the 2018 Fall Convocation.
When Natalie enrolled at CBU, the Bachelor of Arts Community Studies program stood out to her as the perfect way to get her feet wet at the university level. Natalie, whose mother, father and brother have also attended CBU, knew that she didn’t want to be far from home during her studies and was eager to begin the three-year degree offered within the BACS program.
It was during one of her BACS placements at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital that Natalie felt a new spark of interest. “While working as an Emergency Room Greeter I realized that I liked being able to help people in the waiting room, but I wanted to be able to do more,” says Natalie. That’s when she decided to enrol in CBU’s Bachelor of Science, Nursing Program, in addition to her ongoing BACS program.
Through a combination of BACS classes focusing on communication skills, alongside Nursing classes and hands-on learning opportunities, Natalie has had a unique educational experience which she feels will play a positive role in her future.
“In Communication classes, the professors teach you to present yourself well and be mindful of what your body language is communicating to others,” says Natalie. “That prepared me for the presentations I would later have in my Nursing classes, as well as for interviews as a graduate nurse.”
The highlight of Natalie’s time at CBU was going on the 2018 International Nursing experience in Indonesia. While there, Natalie and her classmates spoke to high school students about health care, provided donations of medical supplies and learned about the local culture and language. Natalie says it is the opportunity for these cultural experiences that she will miss most about her time at CBU and is extremely thankful to have been able to attend. “It was a great way to celebrate everything we had learned up to that point and prepare for our future as nurses,” says Natalie.
During her time at CBU Natalie also worked at the Jennifer Keeping Accessibility Centre, joined student societies, volunteered as a frosh leader, attended Science Atlantic and so much more. Her biggest piece of advice to incoming students is to get involved on campus and take advantages of the many services made available to students on campus.
Now working as a Registered Nurse in the Mother-Baby Unit at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Natalie says she is loving every minute of her career. She is proud become an Alumna and represent CBU alongside her parents.