For Samantha Fynn, nursing was a calling, not just a career choice. Now she’s trading the classroom for the emergency room and a home at the coast.
Some people spend years searching for their calling. Samantha Fynn found hers at just seven years old. “From a young age, I knew I was meant to take care of others,” she reflected—an early spark that would light the way for everything to come.
This spring, Fynn will graduate with a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing and turn her calling into a career of caring for others.
Caretaker from Day One
As the oldest sibling, grandchild, and niece, Fynn was always the one looking after those in her family. She loved helping her aunt by caring for her cousins, and it never felt like a chore. “It’s in my blood,” she says. “I just knew I wanted to take care of people.”
When she was a child, Fynn and her sister and cousins would play surgery, pretending to do brain and heart operations. Medicine fascinated her from the very beginning.
As she grew older, she realized that what attracted her to medicine was not just the science of healing. It was also a chance to connect with people.
Nurses did more than treat a condition and move on. They stayed and formed real bonds with their patients.
Fynn signed up for health classes in high school, excited to learn more. Then the COVID pandemic began. “COVID was terrifying to me,” says Fynn, now 22. Since her mother had battled cancer before, COVID felt like a personal threat, not just something on the news.
“With my mom’s past cancer diagnosis, I worried about my family’s safety. I was careful with masks and hygiene, but the uncertainty was overwhelming, especially as a teenager who wanted to see friends and live a normal life,” she says. After graduating from Eastern Guilford High School in McLeansville, N.C., in 2021, she strengthened her resolve to become a nurse.
Cheering On Others
Cheerleading has also been a lifelong passion; one she was able to keep pursuing. at UNCG. She started competing at age five and continued in All-Star Cheer programs throughout high school, earning a spot on UNCG’s cheerleading squad for four consecutive years and receiving the legacy award during her senior year in 2025.
“Cheerleading has always been a huge part of my life. It taught me confidence and brought lifelong friendships. I loved my time with the UNCG squad,” she says.
But when it came to her classes, Fynn says UNCG’s School of Nursing program was the hardest thing she had ever done. She found that the support at UNCG was key to finishing her degree. She states: “I felt supported all the time – professors were approachable, and the health center offered real resources, even if you just needed to talk.”
Building Confidence Through Connections
The college experience has changed her. For years, she was an admitted people-pleaser and avoided conflict. In nursing school, professors, mentors, and patients challenged her. She learned to speak for herself, firmly and kindly. “I’m a different person,” she says, her voice full of pride and relief. “I used to do stuff so people wouldn’t be mad at me and avoid conflict. I’m much more confident.”
Among the most meaningful experiences of her college years was her work with the School of Nursing’s Minerva Mobile Health Unit, bringing care to underserved communities near her hometown of McLeansville.
It wasn’t glamorous work, but it was grounding. “It reminded me not to take anything for granted,” she says. Serving the community she came from, alongside classmates and mentors she’d come to admire, felt like a preview of the career she was building—and a reminder of why she’d chosen it.
Fynn also received the Conway Scholarship from the Bedford Falls Foundation, which enabled her to remain in college for a fifth year. Though she never expected to need extra time, the financial support let her focus on learning and growing as a nurse. Now, she looks back with gratitude. “No one expects to need a fifth year of college, but the scholarship helped ease the strain and finish my degree,” she says.
Life’s a Beach
Now that she’s graduated with her bachelor’s of science in nursing, Fynn is preparing for the NCLEX exam—the final step to her nursing licensure. She’s on the verge of starting as an emergency room nurse at Grand Strand Hospital in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this summer.
The location is no accident. Her grandparents live nearby, and being close to family is important to her. And then there’s the ocean—just fifteen minutes away instead of hours. She’s dreamed of living near the beach for years. Now it’s real.
Looking ahead, Fynn imagines becoming a trauma nurse practitioner, a family nurse practitioner, or maybe an OB/GYN nurse practitioner. She also dreams of earning a Pilates certification and teaching classes on the beach, where health and fitness come together in the fresh air and morning light. It would bring together her love for caring for others and her passion for movement.
When she looks back on her years at UNCG, she says the advice she would give first-year students is to say yes more. “Go to Piney Lake when your friends ask. Studying is important, but don’t forget to make time for the fun things and friendships.”
When she told people she wanted to become a nurse, some said nursing school would be too hard and might be out of reach. She persevered anyway. And for anyone else nursing a dream they’ve been told is out of reach, she’d offer this: “If you have a dream in your heart, don’t let anyone take it away from you.”
Story by Debbie Fuchs, University Communications.
Photos by Sean Norona, University Communications.
CELEBRATE OUR GRADS!
Graduates and their families are encouraged to share their accomplishments on social media by tagging the University accounts and using the hashtag #UNCGGrad. Visit UNCG’s digital swag page for Commencement-themed graphics and templates.
Mention @UNCG in celebratory posts on Instagram and X and @uncgreensboro on TikTok.
