Cyndi Orosco
The Power of Possibility: One Nurse’s Journey to a Doctorate
Thank you for your interest in my journey and for taking the time to read my story.
Nineteen years ago, I decided to leave my full-time job and return to college after two failed attempts at community college. At the time, my goal was modest: earn my Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), secure a nursing job, probably in med-surg, and build a stable career. That goal grew into something much bigger, and it all started at Ventura College (VC).
Growing up, there wasn’t a college roadmap in my family. Higher education wasn’t something my parents had firsthand experience with, so it was never really discussed or encouraged. I still remember my high school guidance counselor telling me that a four-year university wasn’t in my future. At the time, I believed it.
VC became the place where I slowly began to believe in myself again.
One of the most influential figures in my journey was Ralph James, a nursing counselor at VC. He guided me as a counselor should and saw my potential long before I did. His mentorship changed the course of my life.
After graduating from the VC School of Nursing (SON) in 2013, I was one of two new graduate nurses hired directly into the Critical Care Unit (CCU) at Community Memorial Hospital (CMH). Although the CCU remained my primary specialty throughout my nursing career, I also worked in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), Cardiovascular Observation Unit (CVOU), and the Neurology/Interventional Radiology department at hospitals and surgery centers in the surrounding area. These experiences broadened my clinical perspective and strengthened my skills as a critical care nurse.
Over the next decade, I built my nursing career while continuing my education. I worked at the bedside in the CCU during the COVID-19 pandemic, an experience that shaped me personally and professionally and ultimately inspired me to pursue advanced practice nursing. During this time, I took advantage of the stay-at-home order to enroll in the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program at California State University, Los Angeles, as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP).
Today, I practice as an ACNP in the CCU at CMH, where I began my nursing career. I also serve as the hospital’s first Nurse Practitioner (NP) in the CCU. On June 13, 2026, I will graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, making me the first and only woman in my family to reach this level of education.
Throughout this journey, one phrase has stayed with me: “Education lifts us from poverty.” That statement resonated deeply because education changed the trajectory of my life. What began as a simple goal to become a nurse became a journey that transformed not only my career but also my confidence, opportunities, and future.
VC gave me that start, and I am honored to be a nursing graduate of the VCSON program.
Dr. Cyndi Orosco, DNP, RN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN
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