Sofia DeStefano
By Julia Weeden
What began as a job at Mississippi State University’s Longest Student Health Center has become a turning point for Sofia DeStefano, reshaping her career path from veterinary medicine to nursing.
Through her work as a lab assistant at the Longest Student Health Center, or LSHC, DeStefano, has discovered a passion for patient care and gained the hands-on experience and mentorship that have prepared her for a future career in the medical field.
“I’m getting a ton of hands-on experience and practice working with all kinds of patients from college students to geriatrics,” DeStefano, a senior biological sciences major from Marietta, Georgia, said. “I’m learning so much about the lab and behind-the-scenes processes that I wouldn’t know about otherwise. It is great real-world experience.”
DeStefano credits LSHC Lab Manager Dwan Raper as a key mentor who has helped shape her career path.
“Ms. Dwan has been my biggest mentor,” DeStefano said. “She will pull me aside to teach me things I would not learn otherwise. She is the most empathetic person I’ve ever met and has made me want to be a nurse and a caretaker.”
Outside the lab and classroom, DeStefano is active in several on-campus organizations, such as New Maroon Camp, or NMC, Period Project and the Brickfire Project.
Through New Maroon Camp, MSU’s student-led retreat for first-year students, DeStefano served as a counselor, a programming staff member and a buddy staff member. She said that her time on the buddy staff was especially impactful.
“I really enjoy taking care of people,” DeStefano said about serving on the NMC staff. “I supported a student in the ACCESS program and helped him have a positive experience. Now I see him walking around campus with his friends, and it makes me so happy to see how outgoing he’s become.”
She finds that same joy each week working with children through the Brickfire Project, an after-school mentoring program for Starkville students, and serving as outreach coordinator for the Period Project, where she helps lead feminine product drives.
DeStefano’s MSU journey has been one of learning, service and mentorship. Through the LSHC and her other organizations, she has discovered a passion for caring for others, one she will carry into her future as a nurse.