Born and raised on Chicago's West side, Baker is the first in her family to get a college degree—and now she’s working on a second degree from UIC. She chose UIC for her first degree, a B.S. in kinesiology, because “I could live at home, I’d heard good things about the university, and the price was right.

After graduating in 1994, Baker worked a few years and then decided to come back to UIC to enroll in the College of Nursing.“At the College of Nursing I found out about the Urban Health Program. The Urban Health Program (UHP) makes you more aware of what’s going on around campus, opportunities, and provides role models,” said Baker. “Through the Urban Health Program, I was able to attend the National Black Nurses Association’s annual conference where I met African American nurses from all around the country, many in vital leadership roles--It was a huge honor,” she added.

The nursing profession is a great choice because it gives you job security, lots of leadership opportunities, and there are many areas you can work in, besides medicine—you can also go into administration, education, corporate work, or you can go for graduate degrees. There are lots of ways you can use your R.N.

“I wanted a profession, not just a job,” said Baker. Baker also works at the College of Nursing as a pre-admission advisor. “It’s nice for students to talk to someone just like them,” Baker, 30, explained. “Many of the women-- most of our students are women—are just like me, older, going for a second degree or a career change. They want to know if the classrooms are filled with only 19 year olds, but I tell them it’s a good mix, about 50/50 students. Baker noted that prospective students also ask how hard the program is. “It’s not hard, just time-consuming,” she said. “If you have good support from your family and friends, you’ll get through it. And you become one with your classmates. People get really close here. It’s pretty common for everyone to go out together after tests, for example.

Meet Syreeta Robinson
Meet Fabiola Barajas
Meet Miriam
Mobley-Smith