Molly Cochran will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and enter the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, according to a May 5 announcement from Western Michigan University.
Cochran’s graduation marks the culmination of four years at the university, where she was awarded the Medallion Scholarship, which is described as WMU’s most prestigious merit-based scholarship for first-year students. “I am a completely different person than I was when I first came to Western,” Cochran said. “I have grown in both my confidence and my independence. I learned how to build a life for myself and create a community, and I learned that I’m more capable than I think.”
Originally from Vilseck, Germany, where she grew up on a military base, Cochran decided to attend college in the United States due to her extended family living in Michigan. Her interest in WMU began during high school when she attended one of its summer music programs. She credited campus organizations like Bronco Bash and student groups for helping her find belonging: “Western does a really good job of creating communities and putting them in the spotlight through things like Bronco Bash and promoting different registered student organizations and ways to get involved,” Cochran said.
Her involvement with WMU’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program also played an important role during her studies. She received a national ROTC scholarship and will be commissioned as a second lieutenant after graduation. “ROTC has really taught me resilience and how to work with different people,” said Cochran.
The university’s pre-licensure nursing program provided her with hands-on experience at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo as well as participation in the Army’s Nurse Summer Training Program at Fort Bragg. “It skyrocketed my capabilities as a nurse and was one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do as a nursing student,” she said about her time at Fort Bragg.
Western Michigan University enrolls more than 17,000 students; it fields 16 Division I varsity sports teams as part of the Mid-American Conference; it supports inclusive excellence for all students; promotes sustainability through LEED-certified buildings; has earned top-100 rankings nationally for several graduate programs; and emphasizes education that is learner-focused, research-oriented, and globally involved according to the official website.
As she prepares for licensure exams following graduation on May 2, Cochran reflected on how her experiences have shaped her readiness for this next step: “I have grown in both my confidence and my independence. I learned how to build a life for myself and create a community, and I learned that I’m more capable than I think,” she said.