Magazine Spring 2024 Graduating Twice from Westmont

REGGIE GONZALEZ ’18 graduated from Westmont twice. The first time, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in kinesiology intending to become a physical therapist. But experience as an aide at Hayashida Physical Therapy and then at Alta Orthopedics helped him discover a deeper interest in medicine.

“I spent three years at Alta and worked with physician assistants (PA) there,” Reggie says. “I began to realize that a position as a PA or a nurse practitioner fit me better.”

He applied to Westmont’s new Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program and joined the first cohort of eight students in 2022. Reggie graduated a second time with a nursing degree in 2023 and now works as a registered nurse clinical nurse 1 at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara. He and every member of his nursing class passed the licensing exam the first time they took it.

Reggie’s life has come full circle as he was born at Cottage and grew up in Santa Barbara. His family lives in the area, and he’s committed to staying in his hometown.

“The nursing program was challenging as I’d been out of school for a while,” Reggie says. “It was a big transition to go from taking a few prerequisites to an intensive, full-time program. It was a lot of work — nursing school is a whole different beast. As an undergraduate, I took 19 units some semesters, but nursing school was still more difficult.

“The material is different, and it’s difficult to engrain it in your mind so you can apply to a real-word situation — to a person. As a result, it has a lot more weight. The eight of us surprised ourselves at how much we could do after a short period of time. The program went full speed. We joked about our trauma bonding and the character it built. But it was a good experience and very doable. We spent so much time together during the 16 months that we grew close. My experience as an undergraduate prepared me well to be a Westmont student a second time.

“Westmont helped us all get ready for doing interviews, applying for a license and taking state boards. We were the first class, and they did a great job helping us. We shared our feelings and experiences, and they listened to us. They understood we were guinea pigs.”

The first time Reggie walked into the surgical ICU unit at Cottage, he knew all the work was worth it. “I discovered what nursing really is and thought this is exactly what I expected and what I enjoy,” he says. “Becoming a nurse was the best choice I’ve ever made. The ICU is intense, but I enjoy it. It’s challenging mentally, emotionally and academically. I learn something new every day. With so much to learn, it’s impossible to get bored.”

Learn more about Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing at westmont.edu/nursing