Giving Back the Caring

A nursing student goes it online, this time for the master’s.

BY KATE KOLAR '24

As a child with a heart condition, Madison Marien spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals.

Today at age 27, she still does—as a registered nurse at Lake City Care Center in Lake City, Minnesota and at Gunderson St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Wabasha, Minn.

The doctors and nurses who cared for her, she said, were the inspiration for her to go into health care, which was

an adventure that began early. At age 16, Marien became a certified nursing assistant (CNA). In Lake City, where she works full-time, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing in spring of 2024 through the University’s online program.

Her mantra then, as now, was: “I could do this,” she said. “I like taking care of people. It’s fulfilling.”

Before her bachelor’s degree, Marien had completed her associates degree at Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing, Minn. After completing that, Minnesota State Mankato’s online program was perfect, she said, for her busy schedule and the otherwise four-hour round-trip drive to Mankato.

More than the online accessibility, however, was the reputation of the nursing program that convinced Marien to join MSU. She worked closely with advisors from the start, which made the online experience a smooth one, she said.

“It was more slick than when I was actually going to an in-person college,” she said.

Attending online, Marien was not only able to complete her bachelor’s in nursing, but joined the National Society of Leadership and Success, which is a leadership program through the University that encourages personal growth, advancement in careers and creating a positive community for young leaders.

Today, she’s enrolled again with the University’s online program, pursuing a master’s degree in nursing leadership and nursing education. She will continue working in the Lake City area—her hometown.

The ability to work in Lake City—her hometown—along with the support she continues to receive from her MSU contacts made the decision to pursue her master’s degree online an easy one, she said.

“I knew right away I was going to go back.”