Priscilla Bezerra, B.S.N. ’26, is small but mighty. On one willowlike arm, she has a tattoo of a rose and flame intertwined, representing the twin aspects of her love and strength, compassion and resilience.
Five years ago, Bezerra was a healthy South Florida college student completing her degree in psychology and biology while working as a registered behavior technician for kids with autism and Down’s syndrome. Out of the blue, though, just after her 21st birthday, she was diagnosed with a pediatric form of leukemia.
Being hospitalized during the COVID era, Bezerra’s sliver of a silver lining came from the more lenient visitation policies in place at pediatric facilities. “This was something I just needed to get through to the best of my ability and be healthy throughout the process,” she recalled.
She received continuous care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s pediatric hematology-oncology clinic, Alex’s Place. "Until that point, nursing hadn’t been in my line of vision," she said. “I began seeing how great nurses can affect patient care. Several nurses and doctors shared their cancer stories with me, how the treatment they received solidified who they wanted to be in that field. Having that experience from the patient’s perspective really resonated with me."
Bezerra endured two years of monthly lumbar punctures and even more frequent rounds of chemotherapy—first infusions, then oral doses. Early on, her infection-fighting white cells plummeted, a common chemo side effect. “That first year I was pretty neutropenic,” she said. “I didn’t have much contact with anybody.” She also suffered bouts of severe nausea. “For a period, I was depressed about how all my friends were graduating,” she said. “I felt kind of isolated and stuck. That hurt.”
She credits an adolescent and young adult (AYA) support group she joined during treatment with helping her climb out of darkness. “It wasn’t all about cancer, and that was really nice,” she said. “It was also focused on how to manage financial issues and that transition period from childhood to adulthood.”
Finally, in September 2023, Bezerra got to ring the bell cancer survivors toll to celebrate the end of active treatment. Not only did she go on to earn her first bachelor’s degree. She was accepted to the University of Miami’s selective one-year baccalaureate nursing program.
“UM honestly has always been a dream school for me,” said Bezerra, who was born at Jackson Memorial Hospital to Brazilian parents. “The one-year accelerated program was more affordable than a four-year bachelor’s degree.”
From day one, she knew she’d made the right choice. “I loved my clinicals,” she said. “What made my first clinical even more significant was that, not so long ago, I was on the other side of that interaction. I knew just what it felt like to be vulnerable, uncertain, placing trust in someone wearing scrubs, hoping they would not only know what to do, but care enough to truly see me.”
Describing her insider’s perspective as “extreme empathy,” she added, “I understand how isolating it can feel, being different from others, having your life on pause because of health issues. It feels really good to be able to give back by pursuing a nursing career.”
She especially enjoyed a “Child and Adolescent Health” course taught by faculty member Saribel Quiñones, a pediatric nurse practitioner. “It was more of an interactive lesson plan,” said Bezerra. “We learned through case studies.” In addition to pediatrics, Bezerra discovered a love for working with adults in the acute care setting.
In May, Bezerra was chosen from her 105-member accelerated B.S.N. cohort to receive the Excellence in Leadership Award and inducted into the school’s Beta Tau chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She also was selected to speak for her classmates at their Spring 2026 Awards Ceremony, the day before commencement.
“Nursing is something we all had to grow into, moment by moment, patient by patient. And we did,” she said during her May 6 speech. “We were learning how to be present, not just clinically, but humanly, for people experiencing some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.”
As a cancer survivor, Bezerra still goes for follow-up exams twice a year. She said she marks her recovery milestones with friends from her AYA support group. “We do a lot of outdoor activities because that’s something I couldn’t do the first year of treatment,” she said. So far, they’ve gone camping, paddleboarding, rock climbing, even sky diving. But Bezerra doesn’t need to do extreme sports or ring bells to remind her how precious life is. “It’s a mini celebration every day, I’d say.”
Earlier this year, Bezerra was one of just three students chosen to represent the school at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Student Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. “What has made this journey even more meaningful is recognizing that our impact doesn’t stop at the bedside,” she said. Speaking directly with policy experts and congressional staff “expanded how I see my role as a future nurse, from patient care at the bedside to the policies shaped on Capitol Hill that directly influence the care we provide.”
Short-term, Bezerra plans to move to Arizona, pass the NCLEX-RN, and secure her first nursing role at the Mayo Clinic’s Phoenix location or another magnet-recognized hospital. But she couldn’t set out on her next adventure without first sharing in her speech a few parting words of inspiration for her closeknit cohort. “We are the generation of nurses who will ask questions, challenge systems, and push for better outcomes, not just for individual patients, but for entire communities,” she assured them. “I am confident every one of us now has the ability to be the kind of nurse we would want for ourselves and for those we love, because we know this is more than a career. It’s a responsibility. It’s a privilege. And it is only the beginning.”
