The Time of Her Life
Samantha Blais ’16 believes in stepping out of her comfort zone. As a freshman, she joined the sailing team and then, the next year, switched to running, two sports she had never tried before.
Running earned her a spot on the UNH women’s cross-country team and introduced her to friends whose choice of nursing as a major ended up becoming hers. In August, Blais starts work in the sought-after pediatrics unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
“In the end, I was able to use all of my experiences and opportunities to decide nursing was the career that I wanted. I never imagined I would have been this successful, involved and thankful when I arrived at UNH,” says Blais, who volunteered with Northeast Passage and Wildcat Friends and completed an internship at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center.
As she leaves UNH, Blais tells new students to be open to new possibilities. “Don’t pigeonhole yourself into a set path. Most importantly, don’t take any of this experience for granted because it flies. Go out, meet people, don’t judge, be involved and have the time of your life.”