After graduating from Skidmore I wanted to use my Spanish language skills in a medical setting and reach out to people who knew little English on a basic level. Up until that time I had always been interested in the nursing profession so I pursued my nursing degree at Columbia University School of Nursing and graduated with my BSN in 1984. I worked at Babies Hospital at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center until 1986 when I married and moved to Virginia with my husband, John. I obtained my Masters in Nursing in 1989 from the University of Virginia School of Nursing and throughout my nursing career my Spanish skills have always been important and well utilized. After we moved back north I worked at Albany Medical Center as a nurse and Spanish translator for patients in a maternal-child clinic for three years. At present I have the luxury of being a stay at home mother.