Kristen Dominique Has Been Part of the Story From the Beginning

Ten years ago, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University was a still a new name.

A nursing student at the time, Kristen Dominique was part of the class that attended the renaming ceremony as Our Lady of the Lake College became Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University. She was also part of the first graduating class of FranU, earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2016.

Ten years later, Dominique is still part of the FranU story, now serving as secretary of the Alumni Association.

Looking back, she remembers her time as a student fondly.

“Life was great as a student at OLOL College,” Dominique recalled.

With support from her family, Dominique found a welcoming environment where she felt at home. She appreciated the preparation and dedication that came with her education.

I knew the College was committed to academic excellence and preparing us for our careers, not just to pass the NCLEX but to serve the public in the spirit of St. Francis,” she said.

There was also plenty to enjoy along the way. Familiar events like Welcome Week and convocation were celebrated, and Dominique found community within the Environmental Care Organization with Professor Bird, who still oversees the club today.

A Name Change and a New Chapter

Dominique remembers the renaming as an exciting moment for everyone.

However, the moment was particularly special for Dominique. Her class was there for the renaming ceremony and were the first to graduate under the University’s new name.

I was already so proud to be a graduate of the school, and then to be part of the first graduating class with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University name made it that much more special,” she stated.

The transition also represented growth. Dominique was thrilled to see the institution add a doctoral program.

“I remember telling people as I talked about my nursing school that we were a university now, as we had a doctoral program,” Dominique said. “I definitely recognized the significance of that change.”

One of the most meaningful moments of her senior year came not from the name change itself, but from another milestone that made her realize just how much the years had meant.

Her nursing pinning ceremony was, in her words, “more special than I could have imagined.”

“I really felt the Spirit of God there with us."

Her family was there to celebrate with her, and afterward, they went together to an early Christmas party. Dominique was still wearing her white nursing uniform, with her nursing pin attached.

“I think I was still glowing,” she recalled.

She still considers it one of her best memories.

Carrying the Name Forward

After graduation, Dominique passed the NCLEX and began her nursing career at Lane Regional Medical Center. She says her education at FranU and her previous work experience prepared her to care for patients in a variety of situations.

The nursing principles and assessment skills she developed as a student remained part of her approach to patient care.

“I also took with me into my job as a nurse the spirit of caring and accepted the responsibility of taking care of my patients that I had learned from FranU,” Dominique said.

Dominique later spent eight years as a psychiatric and mental health nurse at Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System, where she cared for a population she describes as vulnerable and underrepresented.

“The job meant a lot to me, protecting the dignity of this population as they worked to get better.”

Dominique now serves as a program manager for the Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Behavioral Health. Her work focuses on programs that support people with serious mental illness in the community.

Her career has taken her in directions she could not have known about as a nursing student ten years ago, but the values she developed during those years continue to influence her work.

Ten years of FranU

The meaning of FranU has grown alongside Dominique’s own life.

I am proud of my school, what they have accomplished, what I have accomplished and FranU for being a big part of that story,” she commented.

Today, she keeps FranU stickers and magnets in her office and is the secretary of the Alumni Association.

She has watched FranU change from a student’s perspective, experienced that change as a graduate and now helps carry its story forward as an alumna.