For Sheba Luke, DNP, APRN, a recommendation from her sister led her to graduate nursing school at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). What kept her there was a series of doors that opened and helped shape her career.
“I graduated in 2012 from the Family Nurse Practitioner program, and around that time faculty members told me that they were starting a doctoral program and asked if I was interested in continuing my education,” Luke said.
Because she had loved the faculty, the master’s program, and her peers, the opportunity felt right.
“I had actually made some friends who wanted to continue their education, so we applied to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program together,” Luke said. “At the time, we were the second cohort to enter that program.”
Upon graduating in 2015, Luke learned of another opportunity when a faculty member encouraged her to apply to a grant-funded position in the School of Nursing. Once again, it felt like the right fit.
From student to faculty
Eleven years later, Luke is still here at UTMB, now serving as department chair of Graduate Studies in the School of Nursing.
Growing up in Sugar Land, Luke had heard of UTMB, but it was not on her radar until her sister, a graduate student in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the time, recommended she apply. Both her sister and brother-in-law earned doctoral degrees from GSBS, and Luke still crosses paths with some of their former professors.
“I see them and they remember me from 15 to 20 years ago because I would go visit my sister in her lab while I was a graduate nursing student,” Luke said.
“As a department chair, I interview faculty during recruitment, and candidates often ask me what has kept me here since people from my generation often don’t stay at one place for this long,” she said. “The reason really is the people and the culture. We’ve built a strong, supportive community. We’ve had so many changes and challenges, but all through it, the people keep me here.”
That sense of belonging continues for alumni as well.
“The School of Nursing has over 15,000 alumni,” Luke said. “It’s both a big place and a small place. Nursing academia is like that, too. You end up making so many connections through the years.”
She loves reconnecting with former students when she runs into them in various nursing organizations and at conferences.
A national reputation
“More so now than ever, we’re on the map outside of Texas,” Luke said. “I go to national and international conferences and people recognize our brand and our name. I think that makes us attractive in ways that we might not have been before.”
Luke also takes pride in the School of Nursing’s progress.
“We are ranked nationally in our programs, and our students are doing exceptional work,” Luke said. “That brings recognition back to the things we’re doing. When we present regionally and nationally, people see the work that we’re doing. We are ahead of the curve on innovation, programming, and student outcomes.”
Now Luke is the one holding doors open for students at UTMB.
“A little more than 25% of nurses go back for graduate nursing education, and of those, about 4% hold a doctorate,” Luke said. “I tell them, ‘You are the cream of the crop. You’re here for a reason, and you’re going to do great things because you’re coming out of an excellent program.’ And they prove me right.”