Carli Lovell always knew she wanted to attend college. When diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 15, she was afraid her dream would no longer be possible. However, Carli did not let her diagnosis stop her and she learned how to deal with her disease. She became captain of her high school color guard team and graduated ranked second in her high school class.

Carli chose CSU Channel Islands because of its strong nursing program and the opportunity to earn her BA along with an RN. She is entering her second year with a 3.43 GPA. Carli has devoted more than 250 hours of volunteer time at Downey Regional Medical Center. In addition, she spent three hours a week, for the last seven years, working with a neighbor child who has cerebral palsy.

It is Carli’s intention to go into neonatal nursing after receiving her RN degree. She hopes to continue her education through a master’s degree and, ultimately, work as a nurse specializing in helping children and teenagers with multiple sclerosis.