Class of 2025: Katie Walker carries a childhood friend’s spirit into her second career in nursing

By Olivia Trani

For Katie Walker, the decision to go back to school to pursue a career in nursing felt like a calling. It had been years in the making – ever since her childhood friend was diagnosed with leukemia.

“I grew up in a very small town, and when I was in high school, a number of kids were diagnosed with cancer, including a good friend of mine,” said Walker, who was raised in Lancaster County on Virginia’s Northern Neck. “I was there through her journey and would be with her during her long hospital stays. She received a bone marrow transplant, but she passed away while in college.”

Her friend’s passing had a significant impact on Walker and propelled her to become an advocate for cancer care. She joined the bone marrow transplant registry and, in college, helped organize events for Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

The loss also ultimately impacted Walker’s career trajectory. This month, she earns her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Nursing and has accepted a nursing position to work with cancer patients receiving treatment at VCU Health.

This won’t be Walker’s first college diploma. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and information systems at Virginia Tech, and she worked for more than a decade as a certified public accountant for large corporations including Marriott, CarMax and Capital One. However, after having her two children, who are now 7 and 4, Walker felt compelled to return to school and pursue a different career.

“When I had my kids, I had a wonderful experience at the hospital. You always remember the nurses,” Walker said. “That’s when nursing started to spark my interest. I just wanted my work to have more of an impact on people’s lives.”

In applying to the School of Nursing bachelor’s program, Walker was drawn by the connections to VCU Health and the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Massey is one of the leading cancer centers in the country and provides cutting-edge therapies that aren’t available everywhere,” Walker said. “Having the opportunity to be involved in giving therapies that can potentially cure cancers is what really drove my decision to go to nursing school at VCU.”

Going back to school while balancing work and family was an adjustment, but Walker credits her academic success to her strong support system, including her husband, her parents and even her children.

“My kids are fully aware that I’m in nursing school, and they say things like, ‘Mommy has to study, she’s going to be a nurse,’” Walker said. “Now that my 7-year-old has homework, we got to study together. It’s kind of cute.”

Walker also praised the School of Nursing for helping frame her career path.

“The professors are really knowledgeable and helpful, and they are always available to talk if you have any issues,” she said. “The program also listens to what your passions are and tries to give you that clinical exposure. It’s been a great experience overall.”

Walker had the opportunity to complete her senior synthesis in VCU Health’s oncology unit, where she honed her hands-on skills, saw complex cases and learned from nurses in providing patient-focused care. Through the School of Nursing’s Earn to Learn program, she also worked as a patient care technician in VCU Health’s Cellular Immunotherapies and Transplant Program, where she helped patients receiving various cancer therapies, from bone marrow transplants to CAR T-cell therapy.

Walker noted that the nurses in this unit have so much passion for their profession, and many have personal stories that, like hers, led them to this field. Walker has since accepted a nursing position in the unit and will start her new role following graduation.

“I feel like I made the right choice, and I hope that, as my career progresses, more types of therapies will come along and I’ll see even more success stories for my patients and their journeys,” Walker said. “I think it was all really worth it in the end.”