Ready or not, tis the season of gratitude and giving. As your calendar fills up, are you giving too much of yourself?

It might be time to build some healthy boundaries.

Setting boundaries isn't selfish; it's crucial for your mental health. Through the hustle and bustle of the season that kicks off with Thanksgiving, be sure to take time for yourself. Set the world aside and go for a walk, get a massage, meditate, read a book, or cozy up with hot cocoa on a Saturday night. Whatever brings you peace on earth, DO IT.

Balancing nursing school, work, family, and managing a social life is a monumental task. Boundaries prevent overdoing, over-committing, and oversharing. These things lead to exhaustion. But how do you say no to the invitations and expectations from others? How do you set those boundaries that no one can step over? Take it one step at a time.

America just gained an enthusiastic new citizen and future nurse: Olga Valdez Guevara. After successfully passing a comprehensive civic exam, Olga participated in her citizenship ceremony on Nov. 4 surrounded by her husband, 9-year-old child, and friends.

Olga currently is a student in the Weekends and Evening Option (WEO) program at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College and expects to graduate in the summer of 2024. As a full-time clinical research coordinator at Washington University’s NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, she doesn't have far to go to get to class.

Students learn about Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College through friends, family, and even social media. Michael James "MJ" Block of Sacramento, California, discovered Goldfarb on Reddit, a social community for news and discussions and moved from the West Coast to the Midwest to finally follow his passion for helping others.

At first glance, MJ thought the nursing school in St. Louis seemed too good to be true. He had researched other nursing schools in California but found many had a long wait to enroll. He realized that before starting in one of those programs, he had the opportunity to finish nursing school at Goldfarb thanks to the college's rolling admissions process.
 

When Erin Walsh, DNP, RNC-MNN, came to Goldfarb School of Nursing in February 2018 as an assistant professor, it was her first role as a faculty member. She is a postpartum nurse by trade and still works PRN at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Erin is grateful for her colleagues who mentored her during her first year, especially when COVID-19 hit. "They helped acclimate me and make me feel comfortable. I'm lucky to have worked with people like Lynn Baer who helped me through the pandemic. As an experienced instructor, she helped me figure out how to teach in a remote, virtual atmosphere. I don't know what I would have done without Lynn."

Erin admits the pandemic has been an "adventure" yet she has leaned on her resilience. "Thankfully, I can adapt pretty easily and can do things on the fly."

When Jasmyn Harris graduated this summer from Goldfarb School of Nursing, she became the first nurse in her family.

It was impactful health care experiences with family members that led her to nursing.

When Jasmyn was just 4 years old, she recalls her cousin of the same age passing away from leukemia. "We were born a month apart and were like twins," she says. "My aunt still stays in contact with the nurses who cared for my cousin at St. Louis Children's Hospital. That has stayed with me."