Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26:
On Wednesday, November 6, Kellenberg graduate Grace Kronenberg came back to talk to the Health Science club about how one can turn their nursing passions into a rewarding career.
Grace graduated from Kellenberg in 2020 and went on to tackle the competitive nursing program at Scranton University. She bravely shared her story about entering into a dark period of her life when her dad was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.
At this time, her father was cared for in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in Manhattan, which eventually turned into Grace’s current workplace. By witnessing what the nurses did for her father and their connections with their patients, Grace immediately knew what she wanted to do as a career.
She would help her dad every day in high school with his chemotherapy treatments for three long years. She eventually lost her dad to his battle with cancer and when asked how she continued her career after the loss of her dad, she responded, “My job makes me feel closer to my dad in every way. I see him in every patient I treat.”
Grace adequately explained each step and process she went through in nursing school to inform students who may be interested. She now works at MSK as a full time medical oncology nurse on a gastrointestinal unit and has even gone on to create her own unit providing support to new nurses who are still growing in their skills.
To this day, Grace volunteers at Camp Nursing to help kids who suffer with the grief of losing a parent, continuing her charitable work. One student, Thomas Lorenzo ‘26, noted “The discussion was interesting and informative, giving me much more insight into my potential future career.” Overall, this talk was extremely helpful and inspiring to all students interested in the nursing field.
If you are interested in the Health Science Club, visit Mrs. Frem in room 203 with any questions.
