Bridging Compassion and Science: BIC Alumna Priya Chandna’s Journey to Nursing Excellence
The Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC) was honored to welcome Priya Chandna, B.S. ’21, as the speaker for its annual Homecoming Lecture. Her talk, titled “A BIC Advantage: Merging Liberal Arts, STEM, and Nursing Excellence,” highlighted her transformative BIC experience and the ways the program’s interdisciplinary approach has empowered her to excel as a compassionate and skilled nurse practitioner.
“Priya approached her undergraduate years with ‘a razor-sharp mind and a tender heart,’ to steal from Dr. Michael Whitenton’s introductory remarks, and both traits were on full display during her visit with us,” Baylor Interdisciplinary Core Director Darren Middleton, Ph.D. said. “Her talk revealed how an elevated awareness of all things BIC integrates into the real and often hurting world that we are called to move through both thoughtfully and charitably. The line of students waiting to listen and learn from Priya at the end of her speech was a splendid sight to see, truly.”
As a high school student, Priya discovered Baylor and the BIC through encouragement from her family. Following a severe concussion that put her college search on pause, her mother came across the BIC’s global curriculum and immediately saw it as a perfect fit.
“The first weekend of my senior year of high school, I got a horrible concussion,” Chandna said. “I couldn’t read or write for weeks, and my mom guided me through every step of my college search. She researched different honors colleges and found the BIC. She knew I’d love the curriculum and encouraged me to apply—and she was right. The BIC was a perfect fit for me.”
During her time at Baylor, Priya studied neuroscience, served as a PI for Rhetoric, was president of the Honors Residential College, and was a member of Baylor Crew. She credits pairing the BIC’s liberal arts approach with the rigor of a STEM major as ideal preparation for graduate school and, ultimately, her career in healthcare.
“Studying neuroscience with the BIC was the best combination,” Chandna said. “A lot of STEM majors are incredibly competitive, with little collaboration among peers, but in the BIC, I found community. I could apply the hard science I was learning to my BIC projects and explore my research on a deeper level through my rhetoric classes. It was an incredible experience.”
Priya’s journey took a pivotal turn her junior year, when, while leading a summer camp for high school students, she heard a nurse practitioner speak.
“In that moment, I knew it was the path for me,” Chandna said. “Being a nurse practitioner feels like the perfect blend of BIC and healthcare. I get to use the soft skills I developed in BIC to build meaningful connections with my patients, alongside the hard science of nursing.”
Priya entered a graduate entry program at Ohio State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and was directly admitted into their nurse practitioner program.
“My time in the Honors College was invaluable in preparing me for the demands of graduate school,” she reflected. “The BIC taught me how to study effectively, manage my time, and approach challenges with confidence. I knew I could handle whatever came my way, having already been through such a rigorous undergraduate experience.”
Now a board-certified nurse practitioner, Priya will begin serving pediatric patients in January 2025.
“I’m forever indebted to Baylor and the BIC for helping me see the importance of the human side of healthcare,” Chandna said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the program’s investment in me.”
If you weren’t able to attend the lecture, it is available for viewing on the BIC’s website.