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Maddie Picken '23

Maddie Picken, 2023 Nursing Cohort class president and Sigma Theta Tau member, became interested in attending the university after visiting the nursing school and seeing the simulation lab.
Maddie Picken, 2023 Nursing Cohort class president and Sigma Theta Tau member, became interested in attending the university after visiting the nursing school and seeing the simulation lab.

When she was three, Maddie Picken’s mother asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She answered, “a nurse.”

Picken stayed true to her dream and her word and in May, she officially graduated from UNCW as an RN. She has accepted an offer from Novant Health to work in the emergency department.

A Wilmington native, Picken became interested in attending the university after visiting the nursing school and seeing the simulation lab.

“My favorite memory of UNCW is being with my grandfather and receiving the email that I had been accepted into the School of Nursing. He was a major supporter of mine,” she said.

The 2023 Nursing Cohort class president and Sigma Theta Tau member admits there were challenges to overcome during her time at UNCW. “Every program is fraught with challenges. If it was easy, then everyone would be doing it.”

She credits her professors for providing “close and personal touches that turned challenges into growth opportunities.”

As Picken prepares to leave the classroom for the emergency room, the new graduate has these words of advice for current and future Seahawks: “Faced with a challenge, we can often feel overwhelmed and experience highs and lows...stay focused on what is important, work through adversity, maintain resiliency and keep your eye on the prize.”


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