"I didn’t run into any other students at the conference," said Milledge. "Other people were really impressed that they sent me."

The "they" she’s referring to included Rhonda Roeder, RN, BSN, Milledge’s nurse manager, Linda Abbott, RN, MSN, and Kris Kwekkeboom, PhD, RN, an assistant professor in the College of Nursing who funded the senior’s entire trip.

"I hoped Alyssa's education would be enriched by seeing a large group of oncology nurses involved in their specialty organization and working together to improve the care they provide patients with cancer," said Kwekkeboom. "I wanted her to learn about how professional nurses advance their scientific knowledge base and hear about other current research."

Milledge went to Washington to present a poster for a skin care research project she was involved with as a member of the 7RCW bone marrow transplant unit. Her work was part of an independent study course taught by Kwekkeboom. In the midst of the project, Milledge learned about the national meeting and was immediately interested in attending.

"I wasn’t sure if I could afford the trip," she said. "So I talked to Professor Kwekkeboom and she put it all together."

Kwekkeboom used travel funding she received in a grant from the Gerontological Nursing Intervention Research Center. The conference helped build Milledge’s confidence in her career choice, when just last fall, the December 2002 graduate was questioning her decision to become a nurse.

"Alyssa started out the year blasé about nursing, and now she’s excited," said Roeder. "My favorite thing about the conference was seeing Alyssa’s response to it. She actually exceeded what I thought she would gain from the trip."

Milledge agreed that the conference changed her outlook on the field of oncology nursing. "I didn’t realize what all went on at a convention like this," she said. "There is so much research out there. It’s amazing."