HPD Perspectives Magazine Summer/Fall 2019

12 | DR. PALLAVI PATEL COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES BY SCOTT COLTON, B.A., APR TERRY MORROW NELSON: A PURPOSEFUL LIFE In her role as assistant dean of student affairs for the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences (PCHCS), Terry Morrow Nelson, Ph.D., M.S., is dedicated to making the student experience both engaging and empowering for the multifaceted enrollees in the college’s 29 degree programs. Whether it is creating the Student Success Task Force, the PCHCS Effective Writing Center, or the Interprofessional Diabetes Education and Awareness (IDEA) Initiative, Morrow Nelson tackles these tasks with a winning mix of compassion, serenity, and desire for enhancing the lives of others. She also believes in being a positive agent of change. These admirable qualities were on display when Morrow Nelson, who was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, and grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, was just a child. “Initially, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. I loved animals and spent most of my allowance on giving to the Humane Society and the World Wildlife Federation,” said Morrow Nelson, who has two younger sisters. “I’ve always been less focused on a career and more focused on finding ways to contribute.” During her formative years, Morrow Nelson’s parents, Sharon and Chuck, owned the Morrow & Associates Insurance agency and provided a stable and loving environment that allowed her and her sisters to flourish. “We had a lot of freedom, and I enjoyed riding my bike through the neighbor- hood and spending time with friends,” she explained. “I think my love for autonomy was cultivated during that time.” GOAL SETTING SWIMS INTO FOCUS At age eight, Morrow Nelson was introduced to the world of competitive swimming, which instilled in her traits perfectly suited for her future career. “I swam competitively through college,” said Morrow Nelson, who reveled in the disciplined activity that involved practices before and after school. “It was through swimming that I learned the skills that have made me successful, including perseverance, goal setting, visualization, physical and emotional resilience, and a commitment to team success.” Thanks to her aquatic prowess, Morrow Nelson was recruited to attend various universities on a swimming scholarship, ultimately choosing the University of Redlands in California because of its liberal arts focus. “I swam and played water polo. I even held pool records in the division for swimming—the upside of competing in a smaller division,” she joked. A year later, however, Morrow Nelson moved back to Las Vegas and enrolled in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Honors College, where she received both a swimming and an academic scholarship. Unfortunately, after suffering a debilitating herniated disc in her back, Morrow Nelson PLANNING TO MORROW continued on page 14