A photographer, writer, artist, and now a registered nurse, Jennifer Huxta ’22 graduated with the first cohort of Cedar Crest College’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. Before attending Cedar Crest College’s School of Nursing, Jennifer worked as a photojournalist in East Africa, covering topics including deforestation, climate change, and maternal and child health in conflict and post-conflict zones.
Learn more about her journey and why she chose Cedar Crest:
I was born at Allentown General Hospital in 1977 and completed a BA in film studies 20 years ago. I’ve always been interested in who we are and why we do what we do. I’ve spent most of the past decade working as a photographer and journalist in East Africa.
Essentially, I took Rilke’s advice seriously when he advised the young poet to “Live the questions.” I was living my questions about global power dynamics, economic disparities in health care, and links between climate change and malnutrition. In my work, I seek to tell in-depth stories that show us more about how we are alike than how we are different.
I don’t look away when people are hurt, I don’t look away from the hard things in a society, that’s why I worked as a photojournalist up to this point. But over the years, I realized that I am an empath, and nursing is something that is also aligned with my personality and nature.
I chose Cedar Crest because I wanted the feeling of a smaller, closer community. The ABSN program was very rigorous, and the comprehensive clinical experiences were invaluable to learning the necessary nursing skills.
I plan to take my experience working alongside different groups and across cultures, as well as my language skills and interpersonal skills, into a career in nursing. In October, I’ll be starting a job at the Emergency Department at LVHN working with the care team to help patients find their own strength again.