Lexi Vipavetz

I’m Lexi Vipavez, and my journey to The Universities at Shady Grove began in 2024 when I enrolled at the University of Maryland, Baltimore to earn my B.S. in Nursing. I’ve lived in Silver Spring my whole life, so the idea of commuting to Baltimore wasn’t very appealing. I was thrilled when I learned that the major and school I was interested in offered an option closer to home. My experience at USG has felt cozier than that of a traditional university campus — the staff know you by name, and you feel noticed and cared for.

This wasn’t my first time in a bachelor’s program. I attended the University of Maryland, College Park and earned a B.A. in criminology in 2019. After graduating, I worked as a paralegal for three years before realizing I needed a change. I discovered that healthcare and biosciences inspired me far more than legal work.

In 2020, I saw both the bravery and the burnout that emerged during the early days of the pandemic, and I felt a calling. My encounters with healthcare at this time made me think: I want to help patients feel seen and heard, just like the nurses who cared for me made me feel seen and heard. After completing a few prerequisite courses, I finally enrolled in the nursing program in January 2024, just three months after the birth of my first child. Navigating nursing school and motherhood, though challenging, has been doable with proper time management and the support of my family and friends, as well as the flexibility of my professors, the support of my advisors and the convenience of the USG campus.

I will be graduating in May 2026 and will start my nursing career at Georgetown University Hospital as a nurse in their progressive care unit, where I’ll care for patients who need a higher level of monitoring and support. I would not be where I am today without the advisors, scholarships, and career connections offered by USG. The campus nursing facilities and simulation labs have also been instrumental to learning and practicing the skills I need to be a nurse. As I prepare to turn the page on this chapter, I can only be thankful for the experiences I’ve had over the past two years.