Shashtika Ghimire Guragain

A native of Nepal and the third of six children, Shashtika Guragain began caring for her siblings and their health issues at age seven after her mother unexpectedly ended up in the hospital for a lengthy stay. According to Shashtika: “A fire lit inside me then and there to become a nurse.”

Nepal only had seven public nursing schools. More than 1,000 candidates vied for 45 spots. Her older sister, Laxmi, whom Shashtika call her “pillar of strength,” was denied the chance to become a nurse, but threw her emotional and financial support behind Shashtika so that she’d succeed.

After graduating from nursing school, Shashtika came to the United States in 2008 to begin her career, but transfer requirements wiped her nursing education back to square one. Undeterred, she obtained her associate in nursing in 2014 while experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. Later, at her husband’s insistence, she enrolled in FIU’s RN-to-BSN program, enduring 12-hour work days at local hospitals and a second high-risk pregnancy. 

During her studies, doctors also diagnosed her son with autism and anxiety. Her experience with her son’s challenges have motivated Shashtika to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice in psychiatry at FIU. She believes that addressing children’s mental health concerns early in life will help prepare them for a more well-adjusted future.

By Daniel Zayas
Writer, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences