Alumni at a Glance: Jill Trzaska ’12

After graduating from Cornell, Jill Trzaska ’12 worked as an aide at a physical therapy clinic and pursued her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). Today, she’s a registered nurse at the Bone Marrow Transplant/Hematology-Oncology unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (the downtown Chicago campus).

Trzaska attributes One Course At A Time for preparing her for the accelerated BSN program, which took 12 months to complete.

“We took three classes at a time for eight weeks and the test–homework–project schedule was rigorous with quick-turnaround similar to the block plan,” Trzaska said. “It forced you to focus on grasping and absorbing content quickly and really picking out the most important information and fully immersing yourself in the coursework.”

Trzaska is proud of completing her training as a charge nurse, earning specialty certifications in chemotherapy/biotherapy and bone marrow transplant.

She also fondly remembers her friendships forged at Cornell.

“I have so many fond memories, but mostly all involve the incredibly strong friendships that I made through Cornell softball and our achievement in building the program and seeing greater success each year competing in the IIAC conference, and through the sisterhood of Kappa Theta, which truly gave me a family I didn’t know I needed,” Trzaska said. “Today they remain some of my best and closest friends!”

Her advice to Cornell students?

“Cornell is a place that feels like a home away from home. The people you meet are unlike at any other place on this earth. Be grateful for all of the time you spend with them. The small town of Mount Vernon provides a quaint, safe, and comforting atmosphere while being away from home, and the community has such a big heart for Cornell and its students. Professors will give you unique opportunities that you wouldn’t normally have at a different school without the block plan, so embrace the travel options!”