This article was originally published on March 20, 2025, when Covista was Adtalem Global Education. It was updated on February 5, 2026.
 

Persistent nursing workforce shortages and growing demand for quality patient care are a reality shaping the healthcare landscape in the United States today.

 These challenges have opened the door for a new generation of male nursing students to embrace a shared purpose: supporting patients who want to feel understood and receive the best possible care. Covista, America’s largest healthcare educator and the No. 1 grantor of nursing degrees, is preparing nurses at every level of practice. At Chamberlain University, one of Covista’s institutions, more students, including more men, are finding pathways to medicine and reshaping what care looks like.

Hear from a former stuntman, a Science Olympiad enthusiast and a second-generation nurse about what inspires them to be champions of care.

From Stuntman to Nurse: Hameed’s Unique Pathway to Medicine  

Hameed Zagadinow, a Class of ’27 student based in Stockbridge, Georgia, has taken a less-than-traditional path to nursing. Once a military flight medic and firefighter, Zagadinow transitioned to working as a TV and film stunt performer before enrolling at Chamberlain University (CU). During his stint as a stuntman, Zagadinow sustained several injuries and resulting surgeries and ultimately decided to pursue new endeavors, leading him to study nursing.

Zagadinow’s experiences working in emergency medicine and putting his body at risk to perform stunts gave him a unique perspective on medicine. His own encounters with healthcare during these roles shape how he approaches patient advocacy today. After a miliary accident, his doctor recommended a surgery that Zagadinow didn’t want. “I felt like I wasn’t being heard,” he says. This feeling has stuck with him over the years and fuels his passion for ensuring patients receive truly personalized care.

“My purpose is to help other people the best way I can,” Zagadinow says. “I want to be in the system and work for changes.” 

Lifelong Science Learner Supports Underserved Communities

An interest in middle school science programs is what first planted the seed of a career in healthcare for Stockbridge, Georgia-based student Ashton Alexander, Class of ’26. Programs like Science Olympiad presented an opportunity to build his foundation of science knowledge before discovering his passion for supporting people.

Seeing Alexander’s own family members, as well as the broader community around him, struggle with mental health issues is what moved him to pursue his BSN in psychiatric nursing. “I want to be a force for good, particularly among underserved populations who don’t always receive timely care,” he says.

Eventually, after pursuing his degree and additional training, Alexander wants to open his own urgent care center dedicated to mental health needs. Known for his spunky personality, he believes there is room for lightheartedness in healthcare. “We can have fun while making sure patients are getting the best care,” he says.

Continuing a Family Legacy of Nursing

For Phoenix, Arizona, student Gabriel Juan, Class of ’26, getting into a career in healthcare was a family legacy. “My mom is a nurse, and I have a lot of aunties and uncles who are in medicine,” he says. Juan’s mother, a cardiovascular ICU nurse, was his hero growing up. Seeing her dedication to her job inspired him to pursue his own nursing career.

What solidified Juan’s commitment to entering the field and serving patients was witnessing his grandmother undergo open-heart surgery. As a Filipino-American, Juan knows firsthand how language barriers heighten vulnerability for non-English speaking patients. The prospect of having a major surgery is scary enough on its own, but speaking little English in an American hospital added a new level of fear to the process for Juan’s grandmother. Fortunately, there were nurses in the hospital who spoke Filipino, which helped ease her nerves.

Now training on a telemetry floor himself, Juan hopes to provide that same reassurance to his patients. “No one wants to be in the hospital, especially being an immigrant who doesn’t speak English well,” he says. “I want to be that person for patients.”

The Future of Nursing is Bright

While their paths to healthcare and motivations for entering the nursing workforce differ, these three students share one goal: better patient care. Whether it’s advocating for informed consent, bridging cultural barriers and linguistic gaps, or expanding access to mental health support, they are shaping a more empathetic healthcare system.