How nursing major Brock Zeringue overcame adversity to discover his love for healthcare

Written byElizabeth Rose-Arcuri

鈥淭he nursing program is definitely a close-knit group of people. We study together, we go to clinical together, we carpool to the bus stop, and we eat lunch together. By the time you graduate, it鈥檚 like having your siblings graduate with you because you spend so much time together.鈥

Brock Zeringue
Graduation Year
Class of 2019
Major
Nursing
Hometown
Lafayette, La.

Where I'm From

I grew up in multiple states traveling with my father for work before coming to UL Lafayette for college.

Where I Am

I鈥檓 a cardiac ICU nurse for Our Lady of Lourdes.

Where I'm Going

I鈥檓 planning to apply to medical school and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon.  

Brock Zeringue chose UL Lafayette for its highly ranked nursing program and chose his major based on his passion for taking care of others.

鈥淲hen I made the decision to choose nursing as my major, I researched some of the best nursing colleges in the United States,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e have a great program here, and it was close to home, so I got that close hometown feel but I also got to study at one of the best nursing colleges in the nation.鈥

When he got to UL Lafayette, Brock was expecting to sail through his four years in college.

鈥淔rom first grade all the way to college, the lowest grade I ever received on a test was a B. So you could definitely say that failing was not something I was accustomed to,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 soon found out God definitely had different plans for me."

鈥淔irst, I started school, chose my major 鈥 nursing. Step one, done. Second week: started lecture. Third week: took my very first biology exam of college. I was excited, felt confident about it, then I actually checked my grade. It was a 54.鈥

Overcoming Adversity

That biology grade was just one of many times Brock had to overcome adversity before and during his college career.

Growing up, his family relocated multiple times for his dad鈥檚 job, and he was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 7 years old. After he started college, he lost multiple family members to cancer and stroke. His family lost everything when their home flooded in 2016. The next year, he was in a car accident with his mother the and she broke her back in multiple places.

鈥淏ut the adversities that we face in life don鈥檛 define us,鈥 Brock said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the way that we overcome those adversities that does.鈥

So, when he failed his biology test, Brock knew he was capable of overcoming it.

鈥淚 swallowed my pride, walked all the way to Lee Hall, and got tutoring.鈥

He recognized his need for long-term changes, too. He began journaling motivational quotes 鈥 鈥渁s cheesy as it sounds鈥 鈥 and applied to the National EMS Academy with Acadian Ambulance in Lafayette. He became a paramedic, and that helped solidify his path in nursing.

青青草视频 nursing student Brock Zeringue became an E M T while taking classes

鈥淭his gave me the motivation that I needed to continue choosing my path for nursing when I wanted to quit. It gave me the drive that I needed,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t allowed me to take all of the concepts and strategies that I was learning in clinical and applying them to real life.

鈥淲ith 100% honesty, I can say that I can never imagine myself doing anything else in life. I absolutely fell in love with medicine and nursing,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he experience I gained from this company and the experience I鈥檝e gained from the College of Nursing is something that I can never, ever repay and I will forever be grateful for.鈥

As he fell in love with the nursing program, Brock found a community of students there.

鈥淭he nursing program at UL Lafayette is definitely a close-knit group of people,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e study together, we go to clinical together, we carpool to the bus stop, and we eat lunch together. By the time you graduate, it鈥檚 like having your siblings graduate with you because you spend so much time together.鈥

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