Each year the College of Health Sciences puts its best students forward for the Boise State University Top Ten Scholar award. The university then selects 10 finalists for the year. It’s stiff competition, but we wanted to introduce you to a few of our college’s nominees for the award.
Amber Baranek, a May 2025 nursing graduate, shared her passion for education and patient-centered care, how it inspired her to pursue nursing and how her Boise State experiences prepared her for a future in research and teaching.
Q: Why did you choose your major? Was there a personal experience that led you to your choice?
A: I chose nursing because of my desire to teach and a conversation with my biotechnology teacher during my senior year of high school. I had always been fascinated with anatomy and systems thinking, and she suggested that nursing might be the perfect fit.
What inspired me most was realizing that nurses are not only responsible for physical skills but also for patient education. Nurses are often the first line of defense in helping people understand their bodies and empowering them to make informed health decisions. Everyone deserves that knowledge, and I wanted to be part of the profession that makes it accessible. That’s why I pursued nursing at Boise State.
Q: What are your plans after graduation? What will your future career be and why?
A: After graduation, I plan to work part-time in community health while beginning the Ph.D. in nursing program at the University of Utah. My research will focus on diabetes, with the goal of closing care gaps, promoting patient autonomy and improving quality of life for those living with chronic conditions.
Ultimately, I hope to return to Boise State as a professor, teaching community health and other courses while continuing to work in preventive and chronic disease management. My goal has always been to help the greatest number of people possible, and combining research, teaching and practice will allow me to do that.
Q: Your resume is impressive! What are the top three things you’re most proud of and why?
A: The three accomplishments I am most proud of are serving as a medical-surgical course collaborator, contributing to undergraduate research and serving as vice president of the Pre-Physician’s Assistant and Nurse Practitioner Club.
As a course collaborator, I worked with faculty and fellow students to improve class content, streamline assignments and make resources more accessible for future nursing cohorts. My undergraduate research experiences, including work on perinatal health and traumatic brain injuries, helped me discover my passion for generating knowledge that improves patient care. And through my leadership role in the Pre-PA and NP Club, I supported fellow students as they explored careers in medicine.
Each of these accomplishments reflects my values of collaboration, innovation and service—qualities I hope to carry into my career.
Q: What’s been your most meaningful experience while at Boise State?
A: My most meaningful experience has been contributing to the development of Learning Assistants for the nursing program. Nursing requires mastery beyond grades—it is literally a matter of life and death. I recognized the need for more peer-to-peer support and collaborated with faculty to create opportunities for students to serve as Learning Assistants.
The program began with one course and was so successful that it has now expanded to four courses. This initiative created jobs for nursing students, provided new educational resources for incoming cohorts and ultimately strengthened the quality of care future nurses will provide. Being part of this change, and seeing how it embodies my values of service and education, is something I am deeply proud of.