By Brittany Withers
Aubrey Poisson is a sophomore nursing major from Wethersfield, CT. In high school, Poisson was part of a cheerleading program called the “The Sparkle Effect.” The Sparkle Effect is a nation wide program in which cheerleading and dance squads bring together students with disabilities and students without disabilities.
She had experience working with students with disabilities but not to this extent. Through this program she bonded with many of the girls, including a girl named Bella, whom she became extremely close to.
“It was just great being with a group of girls that really appreciated being treated like they were normal, which they are,” Poisson said.
The girls loved getting together to sit around and talk about boys, according to Poisson. Through Sparkle, Poisson got to know many girls who she would never have known if she had not been a part of the program.
Poisson decided that she wanted to become a nurse because her mother is a respiratory therapist and her stepfather is a physician’s assistant. When she was in 7th grade, she volunteered with her mother to see if she would like being a nurse.
Through her volunteer work she realized that she loved being in the environment and helping people feel better.
When Poisson was a junior, her sister suffered a grand mal seizure. Poisson was the first one there. She had to think on her feet, so she grabbed her stepfather because he would know what to do.
While they waited to go to the hospital, Poisson was in charge of calming her sister down. While at the hospital, the medicine side of nursing as well as the comfort side fascinated Poisson. She realized that she could do this; she could become a nurse.
Moving forward into the nursing field, Poisson believes that Sparkle has helped her understand how to treat kids with disabilities. She knows how to talk with and play with them; knowing this will help her to bond with children she might meet in a hospital.
She wants to work with children with disabilities as a nurse. She knows that as a nurse, bonding with the kids will make their time in the hospital more enjoyable for both of them, especially if the child is living there.
When asked what kind of advice she would give to someone starting out in a nursing program, Poisson said, “Don’t give up, because sometimes at that point when you’re about to give up that’s when you finally get something right.”
