School of Nursing & Health Professions News

Allyson Mayo talks about finding her purpose in behavioral health.

I can’t believe I’m almost graduating and completing my master's in health informatics, recognized Neha as she started to share her journey. Neha has received advice and support from her parents every step of the way. She grew up in a little village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Early in her adolescence, she and her family relocated to Mumbai, a bustling metropolis with a distinctive speed, dialect, and culture that was also a major center for employment. Although she found this shift difficult, she learned to persist.

Growing up in a proud Latin@ family in the East Los Angeles community, I vividly remember leaving both of my abuelas homes and the image of them accompanying me to the front porch and raising their hard-worked wrinkled hands to give me their blessing. “Que Dios te bendiga en tu camino / May God bless you on your way,” they’d say.

If you asked anyone when I was growing up what career I would end up pursuing, you would probably have never heard of anything to do with healthcare. Those around me would have predicted that I would likely pursue being a lawyer or go into business. So, how did I end up as a psychiatric nurse practitioner?

I saw USF as a great opportunity and felt the calling. My intuition was telling me this was the right decision. 

Thomas McMahon's curiosity led him to pursue a Master’s in Digital Health Informatics at USF.