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CSTEP Associate Director Kathleen Smith, Amos Amoak ’21, Dorcas Talyowe ’20 and Cassidy Taranto ’20
Students from Sage’s Nursing program know of its history and reputation – and are looking to preserve it for future generations.
Over the summer Amos Amoak ’21, Dorcas Talyowe ’20 and Cassidy Taranto ’20 collected oral histories from 13 nursing alumnae about their time at Sage and their careers.
During this process, they found three key themes – a familial/role model influence impacting the subject’s path in nursing, a memorable patient experience impacting their path, and the need for resiliency/perseverance to achieve nursing goals.
Taranto said that many of the stories impacted her in a positive way.
“The two interviews I conducted personally resonated with me because they conveyed that the major concepts of nursing education and the professional role of a nurse are timeless,” she said. “I feel even more validated in choosing nursing to be my life profession.”
This project will continue during the academic year, with the oral history interviews being digitally recorded and kept in the archives. Taranto said that they hope to share excerpts when Russell Sage College celebrates the centennial of its Nursing program in 2022.
“The oral histories emphasize how nursing is a hard but rewarding life path,” Taranto said. “I think these projects will unify students and nurses together.”
Glenda Kelman, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of nursing, and Gertrude Hutchinson, D.N.S., lecturer in nursing, were faculty mentors during this project. A grant from the New York State Department of Education’s Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program supported the Sage students’ involvement.