It is wonderful seeing that Gator Nurses, just like the Gator Nation, are everywhere and come from all corners of the Earth. It is awe-inspiring to read the many stories of how faculty and students at the College of Nursing have distinct backgrounds and become part of our college. It is also incredibly special and meaningful to know that we not only share a common bond of caring for our patients and communities as nurses, but as Gator Nursing alumni as well.

In February, we held our biannual Rita Kobb Nursing and Health Informatics Symposium. This series was created in honor of Rita Kobb (BSN 1981, MN 1996), a nursing informatics expert, UF nursing alumna and a long-term member of the Alumni Council. Our keynote speakers, Kenrick Cato and Janet Stifter, inspired us to think about the possibilities of creatively utilizing technology to improve the health care system. The conference inspired me to use the power of technology in health care to reduce burden and enhance nurse well-being. We are living in exciting times and are on the brink of being able to leverage artificial intelligence and natural language processing in the various health care settings Gator Nurses are engaged in! Thank you to the planning committee and the phenomenal College of Nursing faculty and staff for their hard work to ensure the success of the symposium.

During the busy month of February, we also held our annual Gator Nation Giving Day. The Alumni Council sincerely thanks everyone who participated at all levels. I am proud of and grateful for all of the wonderful Gator Nurses who took the time to thank the College of Nursing through their financial contributions. These efforts will help educate Gator Nursing students become future health care leaders. Together, we raised over $160,000 to support many areas of the College of Nursing and received over 300 gifts from generous alumni! Thank you to those who contributed to the Nursing Alumni Fund, which allows us to continue our passion project of funding student book scholarships. Special thanks are in order to our very own Rodney G.B. Clements, who provided a generous challenge donation of $2,000 to encourage our Alumni Council participation during Giving Day.

Thank you all for continuing to Care, Lead and Inspire in all that you do. I am honored to be serving on the Alumni Council as we seek to support and make a difference for our College of Nursing and its students. I look forward to continuing to innovate alongside you all. Thank you, Alumni Council members, for your continued participation and enthusiasm in our council and outreach initiatives.

Ashley-Marie Mendez
(ABSN 2014)