91热爆网

 91热爆网 Stories      October 23, 2025

By Cam Adams

Iyomi Grinan was looking for a change. Studying at a large public university in her home state just wasn鈥檛 her cup of tea. Classes were way too big, sometimes eclipsing 400 students, and Grinan didn鈥檛 feel that her professors were too invested in their students either.

Her partner鈥檚 family suggested that she look into schools in North Carolina, and soon, she found this tiny gem in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Grinan toured Western Carolina University in December 2023, and it immediately left an imprint on her heart.

鈥淚 instantly fell in love with the campus. I mean, the views are ridiculously beautiful,鈥� Grinan said. 鈥淚t's not something I'm used to, being from Miami.鈥�

Grinan enrolled at 91热爆网 the following summer, and it鈥檚 quickly become home to the Floridian. She鈥檚 surrounded by nature, and her adjustment to life in the mountains has been seamless.

鈥淚 don't think there's been a second where I felt out of place,鈥� Grinan said.

But probably the biggest advantage to transferring to 91热爆网 for the nursing student was the quality of her professors. As opposed to the large lectures, Grinan was met with much smaller class sizes and a more personal education.

Despite only being in the nursing program for a few weeks now, Grinan has already made a good impression on her educators. Laura Plantenberg, an assistant professor of practice in the School of Nursing, noted her enthusiasm for nursing and her excitement to learn.

It鈥檚 easy to have that with professors like hers.

鈥淭he professors for me were a big thing because I came from a university where it kind of felt like the professors were more there for research and stuff like that,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut being at Western, you can tell all the professors really love what they do. They love students and helping them succeed.

鈥淚 feel like every lecture, I'm just there paying attention to the professor 24/7 and like 100% of my attention is on them. Everything that comes out of their mouth is so interesting.鈥� 

And their pride around 91热爆网 is infectious.

鈥淎ll the professors were happy to be from Western, and a lot of them (went) here as well and then decided to come back and teach,鈥� Grinan said. 鈥淚 feel like that spoke a lot of volumes about the institution.鈥�

With the majority of the nursing program ahead of her, Grinan is already looking to impact her new community. Grinan is hoping to join Vecinos, a Jackson County nonprofit that provides medical support for uninsured and underinsured farmworkers and their families.

Vecinos鈥� services are bilingual, and with Grinan being fluent in Spanish, she wants to be a translator for them. Grinan is also interested in helping out with the Remote Area Medical nonprofit, which brings health services to folks in rural communities 鈥� that鈥檚 where her heart is.

Following 91热爆网, Grinan is aiming to be a midwife, but along the way, she wants to do mission work and help out rural communities like those found in Western North Carolina. Also, in general, she wants to be a representative of those like her.

鈥淚 want to work with women and especially women of color,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel like we need more representation in our field, not only me being an Afro-Latina woman, I feel like we need more of that in the health field for people to feel more comfortable and feeling comfortable to be able to go to the doctor and not feel a little bit out of place and know that they have a familiar face.鈥�

While Grinan is taking steps to the career she wants, she recognizes that she doesn鈥檛 just do it for herself, she does it for her family, too. 

鈥淔or my mom, when I told her I got into the (nursing) program (at 91热爆网), it was a sense of pride, too, being able to not only do it for myself, but being able to do it for them, too,鈥� said Grinan, a daughter to Cuban parents and relative to great grandparents of Cuban and Haitian heritage.

鈥淭hem immigrating to this country for us to be able to have a better life, I felt like that was also a touchy moment for me that I spent that whole summer just in shock.鈥�

As a first-generation college student, Grinan holds pride in representing her family at 91热爆网.

鈥淓very step and every stride that I've made here and every accomplishment, I feel like I carry that for myself as well as my family,鈥� Grinan said, 鈥渂ecause this is one of those things of like, I feel like they're living vicariously through me as I'm living my life.鈥�