Answering the call to serve
The School of Nursing Alumni Council represents the voice of alumni and serves as an advisory group to develop initiatives at the school, department and program level. Three current representatives share why the council’s work, and the nursing profession, are important to them.
Amir Zakaria, BSN (’18), a cardiology invasive nurse in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at University Hospital, was previously a staff nurse II in the hospital’s Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his exceptional patient care while on staff.
Since Zakaria joined the school’s alumni council several years ago, he has seen participation increase. In other volunteer activities, he served as chair of the Nurse Ethics Council at University Hospital and as co-chair of Corazón Clinic, which provides primary care to individuals who are homeless or uninsured. Zakaria credits his involvement with the clinic as what got him into nursing.
“It really opened my eyes to more that I could do to help others,” said Zakaria. At that time, he was winding down his business of 28 years in the retail and wholesale garment business.
“All the stars finally lined up, calling me into this field,” said Zakaria. A “calling” is what he considers nursing.
“I don’t think of it as a job.” For Zakaria, the best thing at the end of every day is feeling like he made a difference. “Working in the [catheterization] lab, I literally feel like I am saving lives through our interventions.”
Odette V. Denisa, BSN, MSN (’12), APRN, ACNP-BC — an inpatient and outpatient nurse practitioner specializing in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery — currently assists electrophysiology with Arrhythmia Associates of South Texas, part of the Baptist Medical Network.
“I support the electricians of the heart,” said Denisa. In addition to her various cardiology positions, Denisa has served in pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine within the Baptist Health System.
For Denisa, serving on the alumni council provides an opportunity to give back.
“The school opened doors for me and gave me great training and confidence, so I want to bring more support to this network.”
Denisa, who also serves as vice president of San Antonio Nurses in Advanced Practice, said volunteering provides an opportunity to help students and recent graduates understand the value of the profession and the responsibility to keep up with the newest diagnostic tools and best practices in managing disease.
Even routine actions show service to others, said Denisa. For instance, she believes in timely and accurate charting. “I always finish my notes on a daily basis, no matter what, because I know others are waiting for the recommendations, and this directly impacts patient care.”
Retired Lt. Col. Jerry Gonzales, RN, BSN (’73), MS, was among the first graduates of the School of Nursing.
A native of San Antonio, Gonzales had joined the U.S. Air Force as an aeromedical technician in 1967, not knowing then what he wanted to do. After shifting services to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, his assignments took him to places like New Jersey and Washington, D.C., as well as a station hospital in Germany where he served as chief nurse.
Requesting a return to San Antonio to be near his aging parents, Gonzales agreed to first fulfill a one-year unaccompanied tour as chief nurse in South Korea. Along the way of his military journey, Gonzales and his wife had two children, and he earned two master’s degrees in health care administration.
While Gonzales retired as chief nursing officer from Brooke Army Medical Center in 1998, his career and volunteer service in health care and military capacities has continued to this day with his current service on the school’s alumni council.
“I wanted to share my experience with others and do what I can to help mentor today’s nursing students, particularly veteran students,” said Gonzales. “There are so many career and service opportunities available in this field.”
