PhD student selected for national nursing leadership council

PhD student Alexa Andersen has been selected to serve on the Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA) Leadership Council, a national body that helps guide programming and resources for graduate nursing students.

The GNSA Leadership Council consists of 10 graduate nursing students across the country, each serving a two-year term. The council provides direction on what programs services and resources should be developed to best meet the needs of nursing students in master’s and doctoral degree programs.

“Being selected to AACN’s GNSA Leadership Council is an honor and a tremendous opportunity that genuinely means a great deal to me,” Andersen said. “Being a part of the Leadership Council will provide me with a wonderful opportunity to not only improve my own personal leadership skills, but also allow me to work on developing and providing useful programming and resources that may truly help other graduate students across the country.”

Andersen received a BA in psychology, sociology and women’s studies in 2003, and a BSN in 2020, both from MSU. Before entering the nursing profession, she worked in higher education and student affairs, focusing on orientation and first-year experience programs Her current research examines how stigma and resilience affect the mental well-being of emerging adults with invisible disabilities.

She sees her new position on the council as a natural extension of her doctoral work.
“Being a part of the Leadership Council definitely connects to my experiences as a PhD student too,” Andersen said. “I ultimately see being a PhD student as truly learning how to be a leader, both in academia and outside of academics in the industry/workplace. I think it’s imperative that PhD students develop our leadership skills while in our respective programs so that we may better serve both students and patients in our healthcare systems.”

For Andersen, leadership is not just about her own growth but also about drawing inspiration from those around her. 

“My leadership in nursing is really inspired by other nursing students – both undergraduates that I gladly have the opportunity to mentor and work with, as well as from other graduate students who are my classmates and colleagues,” she said. “It’s inspiring to me to see the excitement towards becoming a nurse from undergraduate students, as well as their optimistic outlook on their future careers. Similarly, I learn a great deal from and am inspired by other graduate students, especially when it comes to their hopes for making a positive change in others’ lives through their work.”

Andersen said she is eager to begin her work with the council, both to learn and to give back. 

“Having that ability to really affect opportunities for other graduate students is something that I take very seriously, especially as I see all graduate student nurses as one day being the major leaders in healthcare,” she said.

Published Sept. 25, 2025.