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On Sunday September 13, 2015 the Internet was taken over by three simple words, just a nurse. This phrase was spoken by Grand View Nursing graduate, Kelley Johnson, during her monologue for the Miss America pageant.

Dr. Deb Franzen, nursing professor at Grand View University, had Johnson in her class and said how amazing of a student she was.

Johnson is “Very passionate about nursing and (has) a lot of compassion for her classmates and compassion for the people she cared for. Her experiences were used as examples in our course works,” Franzen said.

When Johnson got up on stage at the Miss America pageant, she wore her nursing uniform and didn’t do any tricks or sing or dance; she did a monologue instead.

Initially, Dr. Franzen thought that Johnson’s monologue was risky since all of the other contestants were doing traditional talents, but she was “Exceedingly proud because she was conveying what nursing meant to her and what caring for people meant to her… She makes her profession proud.”

Later that day, the media blew up with with some hurtful things to say about Johnson’s monologue. Television show “The View” specifically bashed Johnson’s monologue saying “she was basically reading her emails out loud.”

“One of the things that we constantly have to deal with is the public’s image of nursing, and sometimes TV and other things don’t always portray nurses the way we would like them to be portrayed. Kelley did a nice job in her monologue, and since, she’s had the opportunity to promote discussion about the importance of professional,” said Dr. Franzen about what Johnson’s monologue did for nurses not only at Grand View, but also around the world.

“We teach our students to have a voice and to think about the image that they are portraying. They represent the profession,” said Dr. Franzen.

Alyssa Cunningham, Senior nursing student at Grand View University said “I thought Kelley Johnson’s monologue was very relatable and she told a really good story.”

Cunningham told us she thinks Johnson’s monologue gave her reassurance that she’s going into the right profession. “It’s not something they teach you in school. It’s something you just have to have” Cunningham mentions.

Johnson left a mark that day at the Miss America pageant. She inspires nurses and even other contestants at this pageant to push the boundaries.