The University of Washington's MHA Program was the one that really stood out amongst all of the programs I looked into, and was my number one choice. I liked that it was a highly ranked, reputable, and accredited program. Also, it was the only one of my top three that was already well-integrated within a School of Public Health. I wanted a program where I could interact with other health professionals and learn from many different perspectives.

I'm planning to serve unique and diverse populations: American Indians and rural communities. I was particularly interested in the possibilities of working with tribal organizations through UW's WWAMI program, as an enormous chunk of Indian Country is included within the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, not to mention nearby Oregon.

My decision was really made when I attended Prospective Student Days (hosted by the UW Graduate School's Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program). I got the opportunity to meet future students and faculty, including Will Welton, Program Director. He listened to my goals and assured me that the program could help me in my career. From that point onward, I just had to figure out how to move here from Minnesota!

I had a variety of educational experiences before coming to UW. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the University of Minnesota-Morris, and an Associates degree in Business (AAS) prior to that. Both of these degrees are very valuable to me: the AAS degree taught me the technical fundamentals of business, and the biology degree allows me to understand clinical processes and look to the future for trends in medicine.

My most significant work experience was in customer service. I think I bring an important skill to an industry that is really just now beginning to understand the importance of providing a good patient experience. While I didn't have work experience in a hospital setting, I think it's important for future students to have some kind of full-time work experience.

My first goal is to get some broad health care experience, and then go from there.

The UW MHA Program has many strengths, and I'm sure different people will identify different ones. The top three strengths that I see are the access to working professionals within the field, the mentorship program, and the wide range of electives available throughout the University.

Upon her graduation in June 2007, Nicolette became Supply Management Specialist for the Indian Health Service in South Dakota.