Nayelly Granillo-Rios ’26 has experienced many firsts throughout her academic career.

She is the first in her family to pursue a college degree. The first of her loved ones to leave New Mexico and move to Texas. And now, she is helping shape history as one of the first graduates of the new nursing program at St. Edward’s University.

Go deeper.

Heather Severson used her undergraduate degree in molecular biology and physiology to start a career as a scientist. Though she found lab work interesting and had earned a few promotions, she felt disconnected from the families that her efforts benefited.

Unfulfilled, Severson decided on a career change and enrolled in the Accelerated Second Degree Nursing (ASDNU) program at Fairfield University’s Austin Campus. Thus began her journey to become a registered nurse and to work directly with patients.

Severson graduated from Fairfield University in August 2025 and was hired at Ascension Seton Northwest Hospital as a labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum nurse. Such assignments are notoriously difficult for a new nurse to land, and Severson credits her internship experience with helping to secure that role.

“I was a student nurse intern on the same floor during my last semester at Fairfield, and that experience served as a steppingstone into my position,” Severson said. “It allowed me to build relationships with many of my coworkers and managers before starting orientation. That undoubtedly helped me land my current role and made everything less stressful.”

Severson chose Fairfield’s 15-month ASDNU program for its small class sizes and hands-on experiences. Accelerated BSN programs move at a quick pace, and she wanted every opportunity to maximize her potential.

“We learned a lot in a short period of time,” Severson said, “and the skill labs and simulations are where I gained the confidence needed for the floor.”

That Severson developed confidence through Fairfield’s robust simulation program is not only expected but also deliberate. Fully accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, the program provides hands-on training in a variety of real-world simulations. In Austin, the facility features a 21-bed learning laboratory and eight simulation rooms for creating fully immersive learning scenarios.

As for her classes, Severson appreciated the personalized and positive atmosphere at Fairfield. “I was lucky to attend the ASDNU program at the Austin Campus because my classes were relatively small,” she said. “This was a great help throughout the program because our professors were very responsive to our questions.”

She added: “My classmates and I were very supportive of each other. They amazed me daily and provided so much inspiration along the way.”

Fairfield University is a member of the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership. The partnership was founded in early 2018 under the leadership of three Central Texas healthcare industry leaders: Baylor Scott & White Health, Ascension Seton, and St. David’s HealthCare. Learn more about how the CTHP is leading workforce development in the Central Texas healthcare industry.