Chelsea Uzibor

Sometimes parents know best.

Chelsea Uzibor ’22 can testify to that. 

When she was applying to colleges, on the advice of her high school advisors, Chelsea was listing “undecided” when asked about her choice of a major. The idea was that this would give her more chances of earning acceptance letters.

But Chelsea knew she wanted to study nursing. And her mother knew that she knew.

“All you need is one school to accept you,” her mother said. “Go for it.”

That one school ended up being Sage, which Chelsea now considers to be one of the best things that ever happened to her.

And yet, even after she was accepted Chelsea still wasn’t finished with her doubting. Would Sage really make a good fit? She was coming from the Bronx, where it was big and lively. 

“But when I came up here for the Open House,” she remembers, “what caught my attention was how friendly everyone was. People were open.”

In high school, Chelsea had wanted to go to Stony Brook, but didn’t get accepted. Her parents advised her not to be discouraged, and to see the rejection as a sign of greater opportunities ahead.

A few months later, during a panel discussion on Accepted Students Day at Sage, a student stood up and talked about how she had transferred from Stony Brook and liked Sage so much more, because of the close-knit community that made help and learning more accessible. 

As she sat next to her father, who had believed in her decision to attend Sage, hearing of this other student’s experience felt like the sign she’d been waiting for all along. Sage really was where she was meant to be.

Today, Chelsea finds it hard to believe she ever doubted. She can’t imagine any other school would have compared. 

Chelsea was accepted into the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program , which helps underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. 

“I’ve had opportunities I never expected to receive,” Chelsea says. “Tutoring, workshops, help with writing. This has been such a big help. Everyone truly cares. They want to do more and more for you.”

The result, according to Chelsea, is that she’s found a confidence in herself that she never had before. She’s been setting higher and higher expectations, and reaching them.

This new confidence stretches beyond the classroom. Chelsea says she’s become more outgoing. “I’ve made so many friends,” she says. “And they’ve helped me learn things about myself. I’ve been helped in so many ways I never would have expected.”

Chelsea has also seen her view of nursing expanded. She attended a Public Health class during her sophomore year, which, she says, opened her eyes to a broader understanding of health care. She would recommend that all health-related majors take a class in Public Health, because of the many ways it makes connections with multiple careers in the health care field.

Her class in Public Health has her thinking of ways she might have an impact on the community. 

Her decision to minor in Nutrition, Chelsea says, is so she can share her love of food, and spread the word about the importance of making good food choices, as well as help people take control of their health without always relying on medicine.

Chelsea aspires to one day be a Nurse Practitioner, working within a hospital intensive care unit, specializing in either neonatal or cardiovascular care. She feels certain now of the path she’s on. “Because of the decision I made to attend Russell Sage, a decision I cherish to this day.”