At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, she won the first gold medal ever awarded in the women's ten-meter air rifle.  

Nancy Johnson

Cum Laude Graduate, School of Nursing

It is not often you meet an Olympic Gold Medalist; however, it is not often that you meet someone like Nancy Johnson. Before returning to school, Nancy was a full-time athlete. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, she won the first gold medal ever awarded in the women's ten-meter air rifle.

Nancy wanted to attend a major university to study Nursing, one that offered a graduate program. Florida State had "everything. It was the perfect fit!" And "fit" includes the means to attend the University. She has been given the means through a U.S. Olympic Committee Tuition Grant, the Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship, the Eileen Mahan Scholarship, and the Beverly Health Rehab Scholarship.

Winning gold medals is an excellent motivator, but "gold" doesn't have to imply an object. It could be the results of one's study, research, and service. And Nancy has conducted research that will be helpful to others. During summer 2004, she created a research proposal on the importance of hand hygiene in hospital settings. In fall 2005, at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, she conducted research on post-operative nausea and vomiting. Since August 2003, she has been a family-patient volunteer for the Big Bend Hospice. For 2004-05, she served as class president and was a member of the Dean's Leadership Council.

This nurse-athlete won't slow down after graduation. She will be assisting in the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.