Traditional BSN Spotlight: Miguel Negron
Posted on July 9, 2024 by College of Nursing
For Miguel Negron, the decision to attend the College of Nursing at the University of South Alabama came easy. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he spent the first half of his career in the military, working as a medic and later achieving his dream job of becoming a firefighter.
After retiring, Negron had his heart set on moving to Florida. Now, he is set to graduate from the University of South Alabama in the spring of 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
As a 54-year-old non-traditional student, he knows he has experienced many different curveballs that life has thrown at him that his classmates have not yet had the opportunity to learn from. However, this does not change his mindset as he fully believes in working as a team with his peers through classes, leaning on each other when they need it.
After Negron received his associate degree in Florida, he made the decision to apply to several different nursing schools to test out his path to nursing. When he got accepted to three different schools, he found himself evaluating every possible scenario. However, his choice to come to the University of South Alabama was made simple because of the college’s application process and the fact that his wife is a South alum.
Although Negron has several career achievements under his belt, there was one in particular he was extremely passionate about from a young age. The calling to become a nurse was not his first dream job, but at the age of four, he stumbled upon the dream of what he wanted to be without even knowing how to achieve it.
While home alone one day, a fire struck a few houses down from his own. Since all the houses on the street shared a common rooftop space, the fire began jumping from house to house quickly. As Negron watched the firefighters arrive at the scene from the window and handle the situation with such attentiveness and precision, he was immediately inspired to make this dream become a reality one day.
“When I was growing up people would ask ‘What do you want to do?’ and I was always like, ‘I’m going to be a fireman!’ I didn’t know what I was going to do until I became a fireman since I knew it was a process, but I knew I was going to be one. At 17, I was too young to join. I was told I had to leave home after I graduated, so I joined the military,” Negron said.
Knowing he would have to wait just a few more years, he gained experience through the military before he was finally able to become a firefighter.
While in the military, he encountered several nurses that inspired him to take his own approach to the career. Working as a medic in the emergency room for almost two years, he specifically recalls watching a flight nurse handle an older patient who coded with such precision and ease, he was amazed.
“Even the doctors kind of didn’t know what to do, but she knew what to do. She ran the whole thing. I was impressed! I worked with a couple of other nurses pretty regularly, and I knew I could definitely see myself doing this. It was nice seeing all these different nurses just take control. That was my inspiration,” he said.
During Negron’s childhood, he overcame many obstacles and challenges as a child and teenager. Now, he uses many of the things he taught himself in his day-to-day life around his nursing peers. While he might be older, he believes that they are all on the same level and that they all rely on each other heavily.
Negron has a solid mindset when it comes to his studies and homework. He knows that once a test is done, there is no worrying about it because it’s in the past. When he isn’t studying, Negron likes to spend time with his wife, his four kids and work out as much as he can throughout the week.
Moving into his final semesters of nursing school, Negron hopes that he can venture more into the emergency department during his upcoming practicum. He hopes to be able to use his experience in the future to land a full-time job in emergency care.
With his military and firefighter backgrounds, Negron finds the chaos and high energy comforting and familiar. He often reminds himself that it all comes down to relying on your training and what you make of what you have learned.
“My ultimate goal is to get into an emergency department. From what I hear, that’s a lot of nurses’ goals around here, but that’s all I’ve done and I feel like that’s where I work best,” Negron said. “I’ve always worked in positions where there’s a lot of chaos because I’m pretty cool under pressure and I like it! I like when the flames and smoke are going, everybody’s running out and you’re running in. It’s the same mentality.”
When Negron is not studying, you can typically find him at the gym throughout the week or spending time with his family. While it is not something he can participate in as much as he used to due to early class schedules, one of his favorite things to do when he has a little bit of free time is staying up late talking with his wife. Negron dedicates a significant amount of time studying and working hard, and he believes it is important to make time for your family and learn a healthy balance.
When asked if there was anything left to share about his life, Negron could only think of one crucial piece of advice that he wishes he could give, which is to simply love everybody. Living in New York at the time of the 9/11 attack, Negron witnessed the entire community come together to love and support each other. Now, he feels that we have somehow strayed away from taking care of each other.
“I just think everybody needs to love each other a little more. That’s it. Don’t wait for the next September 11th to happen. We’re divided now. The city of New York was never so together and loving. For a good four to five years, we were loving each other, but we’ve gotten away from that. The greatest commandment that Jesus gave was to love one another, and that’s what I follow,” Negron said. “I’m a little rough around the edges and have a chip on my shoulder still, but I love everybody. Generally, everybody wants things to be one way and not the other, but I think the best way to live life is right down the middle learning to compromise.”
What is a fun fact about yourself?
“I went to a contemporary performing arts high school. My major was music, so I did a lot of singing, I did drama and also did a little bit of dance. So, I did a lot of voice and drama and my minor was English. However, those days are over, so this is a note to everybody (in my classes): don’t ask me to sing!” he shared with a laugh.
What mantra/motto inspires you every day?
“I learned this when I was trying to become a Navy SEAL. They have a saying that they have posted up, ‘The only easy day was yesterday’. The other phrase that inspires me is a Latin phrase, luctor et emergo, meaning ‘I suffer and emerge’. I always tell the younger crowd that anything that is good for you that is gonna benefit you is gonna be hard, you’ve got to work for it.”