Nita Shahi is a registered nurse and first-generation graduate student who immigrated from Nepal and completed her MSN-FNP through ODUGlobal while working full-time night shifts.
Nita Shahi, MSN ’26 DNP ’27, has spent years working night shifts in an inpatient setting, learning that the moments that matter most rarely show up in a chart.
When a frightened patient recently received a difficult diagnosis, she set aside her other tasks and simply stayed with them, listening, answering questions, and helping a family find their footing in an overwhelming moment. She watched the fear slowly ease.
“Healthcare encompasses far more than medications and procedures,” Shahi said. “It involves being present during individuals' most vulnerable moments.”
She has carried that lesson from her years as a registered nurse to Old Dominion University, where she recently completed her Master of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner concentration — while working those same night shifts. She’s now working on her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree through ODUGlobal.
Shahi said no single moment cemented her calling to nursing, but rather a series of them accumulated over years as a medical assistant and then a registered nurse. Those impactful moments and patient interactions deepened her conviction that she wanted to do more to diagnose, treat and build lasting relationships with patients.
That ambition brought her to graduate school, which is a long way from where she started.
Shahi immigrated to the United States from Nepal at 18, leaving behind everything familiar. Northern Virginia was faster, louder and more diverse than anything she had known. The distance felt very real at first.
“I yearned for my friends and the close-knit community I had known,” she said. “But gradually, I discovered a sense of belonging through friendships and eventually, my own family.”
As a first-generation graduate student and the first in her family to pursue an advanced degree, the decision to attend ODU carried weight beyond her own ambitions. Her family celebrated every milestone, she said, even when they didn't fully understand the demands of graduate school.
“For my family, it symbolizes opportunity, perseverance, and the sacrifices they made to provide me with a more prosperous future,” she said. “I hope this achievement also serves as an inspiration for younger family members to believe in the possibility of pursuing higher education.”
The logistics of getting through one degree and on to another have been considerable. During her graduate studies, a typical week meant finishing overnight shifts, sleeping for a few hours, attending clinical rotations, and returning to coursework whenever time allowed. On days off, she carved out extended stretches for assignments and exam preparation while making sure she was present for her husband and family.
“I slept when I could,” she said.
What sustained her through the hardest stretches — the weeks when exams, clinicals and multiple night shifts collided — was a combination of purpose and people. Dr. Lisa Cordero, a professor and advisor, provided steady encouragement when self-doubt crept in. Shahi’s husband was also a constant underneath everything else.
He took on additional responsibilities at home without being asked. He encouraged her when she doubted herself. He reminded her, on the exhausted mornings and discouraging evenings, that he believed in her.
“This journey was not solely my own,” Shahi said. “It necessitated sacrifices from both of us. Every accomplishment is a shared achievement. He is the catalyst for my current position.”
Looking ahead, Shahi wants to serve diverse communities across Virginia as a family nurse practitioner, with a particular focus on patients navigating cultural differences, language barriers, and the disorientation of an unfamiliar healthcare system — challenges she understands firsthand.
“As an immigrant, I am acutely aware of how those barriers can shape a patient's experience,” she said. “My goal is to bridge those gaps and ensure that every patient feels heard, respected and empowered.”
