Sergio Dondiego

Sergio Dondiego is a nursing major from Romeoville, IL

Hometown: Romeoville, IL

Year: Expected graduation: 2026

Minor: Nutrition

What scholarships did you receive and why did you receive them? How has the financial support impacted your experience at NIU?
I was fortunate to receive an NIU Merit Scholarship upon entering the university, and last year I was the recipient of an NIU Alumni Association Merit Scholarship and a Forward, Together, Forward Scholarship. I was able to receive these scholarships through the MyScholarships portal, and I have many NIU staff and professors who wrote letters of recommendation to thank for helping me earn these awards! The financial support has given me a release from the burden of tuition and other large expenses associated with going to a university. It has helped motivate me to further excel in classes and partake in clubs and positions that provide opportunities to give back to the DeKalb community, such as an Honors Fellow position, CKI International and the Adela de la Torre Latino Honors Society.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? Are you pursuing that as a major, or have you taken another path?
All my life, I always wanted to either work in health care or become a teacher. I am currently pursuing a nursing degree; however, I have plans to earn a master’s degree in nursing to become a nurse practitioner after I receive my bachelor’s. After I complete that, I would like to become a professor at a university and teach nursing to the next generation.

What is your major (and/or minor) and why did you decide on this course of study?
I am majoring in nursing and minoring in nutrition. I chose nursing because my mom is a registered nurse and I love the idea of incorporating my natural interest in health sciences to help those in need. I chose to minor in nutrition due to my curiosity about how our daily food choices can affect our health over time. I hope to use this information to further help my patients when I become a nurse.

Tell us about the research you are doing and why it interests you.
I volunteered to become an undergraduate research assistant (URA) at the Holly Orcutt psychology lab because my intro to psychology class was incredibly interesting to me. In the class, we had to participate in certain studies for a portion of our grade, and I enjoyed the process and was curious about how these studies could give groundbreaking information to the health care field. I talked with my instructor about how I could stay connected with the psychology department, and he suggested I become a URA at this lab. In the lab, I performed tasks such as meeting and greeting participants in the study, explaining tasks, setting up experiment materials and cleaning up after the experiment was complete. The experiment was very intricate and involved using a lot of technology; however, the general part of the study consisted of measuring a participant’s physiological behavior when they were given a stressor, which in this case was a blast of air every time a specific colored shape appeared on a screen.

How has conducting research strengthened your education and experience at NIU?
Conducting research has given me the opportunity to get knowledge and experience outside of the classroom, as well as helped me make new connections with high-level staff. Although my research has been outside of my major, it has taught me useful information that can help me stay ahead of everyone else within my major.

How will your research experience help you in the future?
My time at the lab was incredibly valuable to me, as I got to practice communication skills in a position and environment that simulated being a health care worker, which I felt was very necessary to experience before I officially began my nursing classes. It also involved measuring physiological functions using tools such as an EMG, ECG and respiration belt, which I got to personally set up on the participant. It also required me to talk through my actions as I prepared the experiment to ensure that the participant understood what was going on, and I always had a helpful graduate researcher named Sarah Hill available to ensure I did everything properly. I felt it was one of the best ways I could get my foot in the door to becoming a nurse someday, since it involved both shadowing and actually going through the motions, which isn’t something people get to experience all the time.

Who at NIU has been important to your success doing research and why?
Peter Tappenden and Sarah Hill have been very important people to my success doing research and at NIU as a whole. Peter Tappenden was the instructor for my intro to psychology class, and thanks to his bright personality and genuine interest in psychology, he helped motivate me to participate in research and gave me a love for this field. Sarah Hill was the graduate researcher who helped guide me on how to actually perform the study and answered all my questions regarding the lab. She was always so kind and helpful, which made me feel comfortable enough to ask questions and get advice from someone very experienced on the subject and everything I’m going through as an undergraduate.

What advice would you give to an incoming student as it relates to research at NIU?
I would highly advise incoming students to make an effort to connect with professors and take part in research. By going to office hours or simply saying hi, you are making bonds with incredibly smart and interesting people who have been through it all and can give you high-quality, life-changing advice. By taking part in research, it can make your resume stand out, due to the fact that you have more experiences. It can also help you understand how much you truly love a subject. Because of my psychology research, I’ve thought about becoming a psychiatric nurse instead of a medical-surgical nurse.

What has been something you have found pleasantly surprising about your experience at NIU?
Something I found pleasantly surprising here at NIU is how helpful and supportive all the staff and instructors have been. All of them are willing to go above and beyond in order to help us succeed, all we have to do is reach out to them.

How have you connected with other students to study for classes, meet new people or form new friendships?
I was able to connect with new people by going to CAB events, honors events and clubs I was interested in, as well as by simply saying hello to classmates. A lot of people can be shy, so just starting a conversation can lead to making long-lasting connections.

Are you involved in any student organizations, mentoring programs or extra-curricular activities? If so, which ones? How have they added to your experience as a Huskie?
During my freshman year, I was a part of METAS, a Latino Resource Center program that pairs you with a mentor to help you get involved and learn about resources at NIU. I found it incredibly helpful. I was able to make new friends and have a role model who gave me valuable advice. I am now a part of Adela de la Torre, CKI, NPA and SNO. These organizations helped push me to volunteer and make new friends with similar interests.

What NIU offices, departments or resources have helped you succeed? And how?
The NIU Student Financial Advising Services office helped me find scholarships to apply for and gave me advice on when to apply. I also have the University Honors Program to thank for pushing me to work hard in classes, as well as for hosting many events that allowed me to step out of my comfort zone.

What Honors Program opportunities or support have helped you get closer to your academic or career goals so far?
Working with an Honors Fellow was incredibly helpful in leading me on a path to graduating with honors and exposing me to numerous opportunities in the program. My Honors Fellow, Emma Walsh, also motivated and helped me apply to become an Honors Fellow myself, and the position has allowed me to be further involved in the program. It has also given me an opportunity to work on communication and leadership skills, as well as provided me with financial aid. I was also fortunate to attend a Barsema Boot Camp event exclusive to honors students that enlightened me with tips on how to become a better leader.

What do you enjoy the most about the Honors Program?
I enjoy the challenges the program provides me. It has challenged me to keep a high GPA, work more in class and partake in honors-engaged experiences, which can include job shadowing, internships, events on campus and so much more. By challenging myself more in school, it will strengthen my mindset and work ethic to help me succeed in my career.

Who has been one of your favorite instructors/professors and why? What course did they teach?
Dr. Stoia has been one of my favorite professors because of his funny and energetic personality. He taught my BIOS 103 class. He was incredibly supportive and gave me a good first impression of the professors here at NIU. He motivated me to always come to class, and he also helped push me and others to ask lots of questions, which helped me get out of my comfort zone and succeed in his class. During his office hours, he gave me helpful advice I could use outside of his class, and he always had an inviting personality, which showed that he truly cared about all his students.

How have you benefited by attending class regularly?
Attending class regularly has to be one of the easiest ways to get good grades in class. Some instructors grade attendance and some instructors don't give out their presentations, but all instructors provide helpful insight during class hours, as well as the opportunity to ask questions during lectures. It is also really hard to motivate yourself to read presentation slides, so it is just easier to go to class and have a teacher reinforce the slides and give further knowledge.

Where is your favorite spot on campus or in the community? Why are you drawn to it?
My favorite spot on campus is the Recreation Center. I feel that a good workout can take the stress out of a bad day and help me be more productive and make better decisions.

What advice would you give to a student who is researching colleges to apply to?
I would advise students to look into NIU. It has great programs, great student life, many resources and cheaper tuition. In addition, the classroom sizes aren't as big as other colleges, which allows you to get more connected to your professors. There are also many opportunities for positions, scholarships and research that can help you get ahead after graduation.

Why is a college education important to you?
College education is a privilege that gives me the opportunity to further improve my life. It will allow me to achieve my dream career and earn enough money to live a happy and comfortable life with the people I love.

What strategies do you use to manage your time between the responsibilities of school, work, friends and family?
I push to finish my asynchronous assignments early to give me less work to do in the following weeks, and I do my best to finish my homework as early as possible so I can have the rest of the day to hang out with friends and exercise.

How do you stay informed about events and services that are available on campus?
I follow NIU organizations on social media to keep up with events going on around campus, and I read the flyers near Starbucks at the student center. I also use the Suitable app for events that can give me honors credit.

What do you do to relax or recharge?
To relax and recharge I like to go out with friends, hang out at the Holmes Student Center, walk around the lagoon, exercise, drink lots of coffee and take naps.

Please tell us about your job and hobbies.
Last year I worked at Founders Memorial Library. I worked at the circulation desk helping students check out books and leading them to resources inside and outside of the library. I enjoy taking care of my pets: I have two frogs named Nugget and Rufus and two snakes named Cinnabun and Patches. I love to work out at the Recreation Center and be outside, and I am into martial arts like wrestling and jiu-jitsu.