Commencement spotlight — Lauren Stojka

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a blue and black patterned blouse, smiles while sitting indoors on a patterned couch with large windows in the background.

When Lauren Stojka BSN ‘26 was five years old, she had surgery to repair a minor hernia. What she remembers most about that experience is her interaction with the nurse and how it changed her life.

“I was scared because I didn’t know anything about hospitals. The nurse brought me a little teddy bear and used him to show me how the gas mask would go on my face, and then she let me choose what flavor of anesthesia I wanted,” she says. “I remember being so calm after that interaction with her and waking up from the surgery knowing I was going to be completely okay.”

A smiling woman in a black dress and light blue sash stands next to a large blue banner that reads “Bachelor of Science in Nursing, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.”.

The nurse was a source of comfort, and Stojka knew from that day on that she wanted a nursing career that focused on serving others. She applied to Carolina with the intention of working hard to gain admission to the UNC School of Nursing, and after commencement on May 8, she’ll join Duke University Hospital as a pediatric cardiac ICU nurse.

“I applied to Carolina because I’d heard wonderful things about the nursing program, that Carolina creates such well-prepared nurses. I do feel like I’m as prepared as I could possibly be, and I’ve felt so supported along the way.”

Stojka says she loves a challenge, and this is one of the reasons she’s chosen a career in critical care. Last summer, she did her externship at UNC Medical Center on the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CVTICU), and it won her over.

“The critical care environment is for lifelong learners, and I always want to stretch and to grow in my knowledge. Knowledge is power, and knowledge has the power to help people,” she says. “I’m excited to start this role, because I’ll not only be supporting children, but I’ll be also supporting their families.”

The School of Nursing was part of what Stojka says was “the full Carolina experience,” where she has taken every opportunity immerse herself in life as a Tar Heel, balancing her studies and training with school spirit and the activities she finds personally fulfilling. For four years, she has served as a leader with Young Life, which helps young people grow in their faith, and she’s stayed closely involved with the North Carolina Study Center, a center for Christian life and thought at Carolina, since her freshman year. She’s also enjoyed going to as many athletic events as possible.

The friends she made at Carolina stepped in to help when she was busy with nursing clinicals and classwork, leaving her encouraging notes, making her dinner and making sure she was caring for herself while she juggled a full life at Carolina. Together, they shared a memory she will never forget when they sat two rows behind former men’s basketball Coach Roy Williams in the Smith Center and watched in-person as Seth Trimble sunk his iconic shot to beat the Duke Blue Devils at the buzzer.

“I have had such incredible friends in nursing school and at UNC. I think that’s the secret to pulling it off — really good people who helped me continue my involvement in all the things that fill my cup, so that I could have a cup to pour from, too,” she says. “I’m very grateful for the time that I’ve had here, and I know that the next season and chapter are going to be just as wonderful, but I know Carolina will always feel like home to me.”