麻豆传媒

There鈥檚 a young woman turning heads at the 麻豆传媒 School of Nursing; an exceptional student looking to make a name for herself and bring her classmates along for the ride.

Erin Jundt graduated from Derby High School as a junior. Now, at the age of 19, she鈥檚 been elected president of the nursing class of 2015 鈥� the youngest to earn that honor. She鈥檚 intelligent, driven and humorous, and she has a clear vision of what she wants for her future. She鈥檚 a Shocker success story in the making.

Jundt, a junior, is studying to be a nurse in a level-four neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where the earliest premature babies are cared for.

Her first choice for higher education was always Wichita State, she said, because she wanted to live at home but she also wanted a challenge. Jundt chose to study nursing because she wanted to be in a position that would require her to be the absolute best at her job.

鈥淚鈥檇 heard that Wichita State was acclaimed for its nursing program, and it really is amazing,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen you have a baby in the NICU, you want the person taking care of it to be super educated, and you want them to be the best. I want to excel. I want people to depend on me to do my job right.鈥�

Terri Core, one of Jundt鈥檚 nursing instructors, says Jundt is a natural leader.

鈥淲hen patients are asked to describe what it means to be a good nurse you hear adjectives such as kind, caring, compassionate and knowledgeable,鈥� Core said. 鈥淓rin demonstrates all of these qualities. It is hard to believe that she is only 19 years old. She has the maturity of someone with much more life experience. Her energy is contagious and her smile brightens the day. I have no doubt she will be successful in the path she has chosen.鈥�

Jundt has been on the Dean鈥檚 Honor Roll every semester of her college career and has been a recipient of several scholarships, including the Sedgwick County Scholarship. She鈥檚 a member of Nursing Christian Fellowship, Kansas Association of Nursing Students and the Dean鈥檚 Student Ambassador Council.

Jundt joked that the reason she wanted to work with infants is because they aren鈥檛 mean like older people. That sentiment developed out of her previous work history, which includes the grind of customer service as a restaurant server and as a movie theater manager. On reflection, she identified a different attraction.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been the baby of everything,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 the baby of my family, of my graduating class and of the nursing students 鈥� I just have an affinity for little babies.鈥�

Family support

Jundt comes from a family of engineers, including her grandfather, father, uncles and four brothers, so working hard to succeed is familiar to her. They鈥檙e all supportive of her decision to pursue a career in medicine, which she said makes it easier to keep her goals in sight.

Jundt also said she鈥檚 grateful for her supportive boyfriend.

鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 let me practice on him that much, but he鈥檚 a pretty good support system. He plays his Xbox a lot so I can study.鈥�

After graduation, Jundt plans to work as an R.N. before returning to school for her doctorate. Her ultimate goal is to be a nurse practitioner.

As smart and hard-working as she is, Jundt says she has a lot of respect for her older classmates, many of whom do the same work with more challenging circumstances.

鈥淥ther nursing students work full time and have kids, and I have no idea how they do it,鈥� said Jundt.

For high school students thinking about a career in nursing, Jundt says she definitely recommends Wichita State.

鈥淭he teachers are training future nurses to take care of their loved ones, and they want us to be the best we can be,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very connected with students. You really feel like they care about your career and they鈥檙e really there to help.鈥�

Jundt also shared a few things she鈥檚 learned in her career as a nursing student.

鈥淵ou have to have a good work ethic,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 just sit there and read books and take tests. We鈥檙e actually in the lab putting in catheters and giving intramuscular injections. Real hands-on stuff. It鈥檚 definitely worth it.鈥�