Answering the Call: Carolyn Moglia Finds Her Stride in St. John’s First Nursing Class

When nursing student Carolyn Moglia walks across the Commencement stage this May, she won’t just be earning a diploma, she’ll be making history. As a member of the first graduating cohort of St. John’s University’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, Carolyn represents the heart, grit, and promise of a program built from the ground up.

Her journey reflects what it means to find your calling, supported by a community that believes in you. “In the beginning, I wasn’t sure whether I was certain about becoming a nurse or where I was heading in life,” she said. “The more time I spent with my peers and our amazing faculty, the more I realized the path ahead of me.”

St. John’s nursing program launched in 2022, in response to the growing global need for health-care professionals. “As a new program, we have always been included in decisions about our education, and our faculty value our opinions,” Carolyn explained. “Everyone is willing to help and support one another through hard times. I know that my peers and faculty will always have my back, no matter what.”

When Carolyn and her classmates first entered the nursing program, they did so without a physical home of their own. During their first two years, the cohort bounced between spaces on campus as their current home, the St. Vincent Health Sciences Center, took shape.

“When St. Vincent’s opened, it felt like we finally had a home,” she explained. “Now, all our faculty are in the same place, so we know where to find our people. It has state-of-the-art equipment and beautiful new classrooms and labs for us to learn and thrive in.”

Carolyn lost her father during her sophomore year, an experience that changed her life. “I honestly didn’t know if I could power through the end of that semester, let alone the two years I had left in the program,” she recalled. “My friends and faculty were so full of love and support. Several of my professors even came to his wake to support me. To this day, some of them still pull me aside and check on me if they notice I’m down or having a rough day.”

Through that loss, Carolyn found a more profound sense of purpose—one rooted in resilience and remembrance. “My dad always wanted me to be a nurse, and I keep going to make him proud, but also because of the amazing support system I have behind me.” 

Since then, she has thrived. She is currently working as a Nursing Assistant at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY, where she was recently honored with a DAISY Award—a nursing industry award that celebrates, recognizes, and thanks nurses for the care and kindness they provide.

“It was an amazing honor for me. It showed that I have made an impact on someone’s life, and that makes me want to continue my journey to become a nurse,” she said. “Hopefully, one day I will be a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, just like the nurses who nominated me for this award.”

That sense of purpose now carries her forward as graduation draws near. With real-world experience under her belt and a growing confidence in her skills, Carolyn is ready to take the next step—eager to turn everything she’s learned in the classroom into action in the real world.

“They always say that until you’ve worked a real 12-hour shift as a nurse, you can’t really know what it’s like,” she admits, “but I’m excited to take everything I’ve learned over the past four years and put it into practice.”