Sebastian Smith took a deep breath. He got ready for his big moment. In the distance, he could hear the roar of the crowd. A few moments later, the stadium announcer called out his name. Through the huge curtains Smith got a glimpse of the Lucas Oil stadium, the home field of the Indianapolis Colts. As he walked onto the stage, it suddenly got very hot. Huge flames flared up next to him and made his entrance look quite dramatic. His heart was racing. The excitement started to take over. Smith took one last deep breath, locked in and got ready to dive into the water at the biggest swimming competition of his life.

Stella Willoughby needed a moment to herself. Everything felt too much. She just got notice that she lost her job as the rowing coach at Lake Washington Rowing Club. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of uncertainty. Many industries were shut down, and many people lost their jobs. Willoughby was one of them, but she used the time of uncertainty to her advantage.

What does it take to turn ambition into action? First-year graduate student Grace Delice might know a thing or two.

Congratulations to the 2025 Rubert graduates!

When asked to sum up her freshman year at Drexel in one word, Nora Cumiskey paused for a moment and settled on eye-opening. Eye-opening might be an understatement. In only her freshman year, the 19-year-old health sciences major already has three years as an emergency medical technician (EMT) under her belt and has her sights set on joining the growing number of physician assistants practicing in the U.S.

Danielle Ruffin sat in her dorm room at the University of Hartford as she watched the 2008 WNBA draft on her computer. All of a sudden, her heart started to race. She started to panic and just couldn’t absorb what happened. In the third round of the draft, she heard her name get called out. The Atlanta Dream selected the then-21-year-old as the overall 32nd pick in the 2008 WNBA draft, making her dream of becoming a professional basketball player come true.

Aaron Pitt Jr. lives a super hectic life. Between juggling classes, a part-time job and three student organizations, he seems to do it all.

For the sophomore nursing major, the choice to become a nurse was simple: he loves caring for others.

On April 3, 2025, the Promise Zone Research Connection (PZRC) hosted its inaugural West Philly Research Day to help address these concerns and create an environment that fosters trust and collaboration amongst research institutions and community members based in West Philadelphia. The event aimed to connect research institutions, local organizations and community members to engage in meaningful conversations to promote mutually beneficial outcomes of research for community residents.

Five practices, three lifts and two games per week. All of this is done while maintaining a regular class schedule and having to deal with homework, quizzes and exams. Student-athletes face lots of responsibilities. Drexel soccer goalkeeper Ben Hanas knows all about that. The 18-year-old majors in sxercise science at the College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) and gives up a lot of his free time to be successful on and off the field.

Ever wonder what the intersection between psychology and human development and counseling is? Sophomore Mayako Kawashima ‘27, a double major in both, could give you some insight.

Azarhis Smith is a second year culinary student who also works at Fork, a James Beard Award winning restaurant. We asked Azarhis about the culinary arts and science program and some of the experiences he’s had at the college so far.

Established in 1967, there are currently more than 178,700 physician assistant (PA) practitioners in the United States. Sophomore health sciences major Anuj Patel ’28 aims to become a licensed PA upon his graduation.

For sophomore undergraduate nursing major Treyonni Brown ‘28, diversifying your career is crucial to success.

A wise person once said if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. For Valentine Van Hellemont ‘27, the ambitious Division I field hockey player is studying exercise science at the College of Nursing and Health Professions to become a physical therapist for professional athletes.

According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, only three percent of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are Black or African American. Sophomore undergraduate nursing student Mercedes McCall’s long-term goal is to join those numbers.

How does a nursing student at Drexel find herself in the middle of chest compressions at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) during her third week of co-op? Meet Hannah Stetson, a junior undergraduate nursing student in Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions.