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IU School of Nursing student Rosalyn Kuhn thrives after overcoming severe concussion, anxiety

By Hanne Brandgard

Friday, April 11, 2025

Rosalyn Kuhn poses with the IU Fort Wayne mascot. To the right, a panel includes a quote from Rosalyn about how nurses inspired her to support others through their toughest moments. Below the quote is the IU School of Nursing logo.

Indiana University School of Nursing in Fort Wayne senior Rosalyn Kuhn knew she wanted to be a nurse after suffering a severe concussion at 7 years old.

“I was terrified as I awoke in a scary hospital with lines and monitors hooked up to me,” Kuhn recalls. “It was the nurses who calmed my fears and turned what would have been a traumatic event into an insatiable drive to be that same kind of strength for someone going through the worst moments of their life.”

After this accident, Kuhn had her sights set on nursing school, but that journey didn’t come without its obstacles.

Kuhn is the youngest of six and knew that there would be a financial barrier. She also faced challenges from an anxiety disorder. Before coming to IU, she attended a different university where she struggled with her mental health.

Kuhn says she met with the dean and realized, “it was not my time yet for nursing school.”

After this realization, she decided to take a break from school and enlist in the Indiana Army National Guard as a combat medic.

Kuhn says her four and a half years in the military helped prepare her for nursing school.

“All the intense mental conditioning, training, and discipline the Army requires has shaped me into the resilient, level-headed, and fun-loving nursing student that I am today,” she said.

At IU Fort Wayne, Kuhn says she feels supported and encouraged by the faculty and staff, who she says are heavily invested in their students’ success.

“It is so apparent how much the professors, clinical instructors, advisors, and other administration care deeply about fostering the next generation of professional nurses,” Kuhn shares. “They offer so much of themselves, like their time and maintaining an open line of communication.”

Kuhn also appreciates the unique insight her diverse group of professors are able to share with her and her classmates.

“I also love how diverse the professors are with what experiences they have in their different fields of nursing, so they often will share personal experiences and wisdom from their many years of being bedside nurses,” Kuhn says.

Kuhn encourages prospective nursing students to remember that the difficult work pays off and to appreciate the moments when you connect with patients and service your community.

“There will be late nights full of tears as you worry about a big exam in the morning, but there will also be tears of joy as you witness a child being born during your clinical day,” she says.

The difficulties, in fact, can be encouraging once you’re on the other side of them, Kuhn says.

“Every semester completed feels like you are walking on cloud nine because you accomplished another milestone and have proven that you can do hard things!”

Kuhn relies on her family and faith to keep her moving forward and get her through the difficult times. Through it all, she’s focused on how she can help her community.

“Nursing, and service in general, requires humility,” Kuhn says.

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