Keondra Rustan is a multi-talented and dedicated nurse educator and health care practitioner.
It was easy to recognize Keondra’s potential as an future star in the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner community.
Keondra received a Lois Price Spratlen Foundation scholarship in 2022. The following year, she was the keynote speaker at the Foundation’s Gala.
She joined AAPPN in 2023 as a Student Member. She soon volunteered as co-chair of AAPPN’s Case Discussion Group with Sara Weelborg.
Giving back is a theme in Keondra’s burgeoning career. She volunteered at the 2024 Scholarship and Awards Breakfast, co-hosted by AAPPN and the Foundation.
She is also involved in wider community activities. She is President of the Board of Directors for the Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Organization and an active member of the National Council of Negro Women. She is an active member and presenter for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, International Nursing Association Clinical Simulation and Learning, and the National League for Nursing.
In August 2024, Washington Governor Jay Inslee appointed her to the Student Regent position on the University of Washington Board of Regents. Her term is July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
We asked Keondra about her motivation and her goals.
You continue to pursue higher nursing education. Tell us about your nursing professional goals.
Ultimately, I love teaching, and I want to practice. I plan on practicing as PMHNP and teaching part-time, perhaps in simulation.
I am also very interested in Art Therapy and want to open up a practice in that in the future. I am thinking of including therapy using Dungeons and Dragons as well. It is nice when you can combine your interests with your career.
You have been very busy. Do you have any hobbies or anything to relax, enjoy or get energy from?
I love hiking, the beach, reading, drawing and painting, and Muay Thai Kickboxing. I really get energy from being out in nature.
Do you have any words to live by?
Treat everyone with HAIR and H2O.
H – Honesty
A – Authenticity
I – Integrity
R – Respect
I use HAIR because I used to have a curly Afro and that was what people usually noticed about me first.
H – Honesty
H – Humility
O – Openness
I use H2O because it is flexible and sometimes goes through adversity. Water is a force that keeps people grounded.
I believe that you can learn from anyone and any experience. Be open to experiences and see what you can learn from it. It gives you something to look forward to.