Jana Gegen of Prescott, Wisconsin, has been selected a spring semester Outstanding Graduate Student at Metropolitan State University.
Gegen graduates with a master’s degree in nursing and is selected as the President’s Outstanding Graduate Student award recipient for the university’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She is one of 1,079 students graduating in the spring semester. Metropolitan State’s 104th commencement exercises take place April 27, 2019, at the Minneapolis Convention Center to confer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
Gegen spoke appreciatively of her nursing cohort in her university experience. “We have an incredible group of women in our cohort,” Gegen said. “We have supported one another throughout the program. We are blessed in the fact that we have developed friendships that will last a lifetime.”
Gegen earned her bachelor’s degree of science in nursing from Metropolitan State in 2015, and currently teaches nursing clinicals part-time at a local community college. Upon completing the Family Nurse Practitioner certification test, Gegen plans to get a job. She also wants to pursue additional certification in Functional Medicine.
Gegen lives with her fiancé and her mother. She has two sons and one grandchild. She enjoys camping, riding ATVs, gardening, and hiking. She also volunteers with the Saint Paul Public Housing Agency, which she has been doing for the past three years.
“I am in awe of Jana’s intellect; critical analysis skills that include the ability to contextualize problems far beyond the typical narrow focus of the healthcare sector; compassion; commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and social justice work in healthcare and education; and perseverance,” said Ruth Staus, Gegen’s advisor.
Each fall and spring semester, colleges at Metropolitan State nominate students for the Outstanding Student and Outstanding Graduate Student awards. Nominees are evaluated on the basis of their academic performance in their degree program, as well as achievements in their community and professional contributions. All finalists are recognized in the commencement program, outstanding students receive special recognition during commencement, and are eligible to speak at commencement.
Metropolitan State University, a member of Minnesota State, is the Twin Cities’ public, urban, comprehensive state university providing lifelong learning and competitive academic and professional degree programs at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels.