Julie Pacia Operating Room/Cardiac Nurse University of British Columbia Hospital Vancouver, BC Age: 28 Pathway: College Feeder School: St. Ambrose Catholic Elementary School Photo: Supplied

Julie Pacia has dedicated her life to helping others. As a nurse in both the operating room and the cardiac unit, she cares for patients and worried family members who are caught off guard by seeing their loved ones sick and vulnerable. Her compassion comes from a deep understanding of what it’s like to step out of her comfort zone, whether at school, at work, or on the other side of the world.

Years ago, when she made the transition from St. Ambrose Elementary School to St. Michael Catholic Secondary School, Julie was going through a personal journey.

“It was a challenging time,” she remembers. “I was trying to search out who I was, and I didn’t know where I belonged.”

With encouragement from her teachers, Julie chose to pursue a career in health sciences and study nursing at Fanshawe College in London ON. During that time, she relied on her Catholic principles to help navigate the challenges.

“There were questions of ethics, questions of life that made me question my faith, but I chose to commit my life to Jesus after my second year of school,” she explains. “I was living a selfish life before, but now I make all my big decisions by praying and waiting for God to guide and lead me. I’m trying to live how God wants me to – and trying to surrender my life to Him.”

God has led Julie to some unexpected places: first, on a two-year hiatus from nursing school to attend Bible College in Saskatchewan; then, on a mission trip to Africa which she completed before graduating with a collaborative Bachelor of Science from Fanshawe College and the University of Western Ontario, also in London.

“I spent one month in Niger, working 16-hour days as an operating room nurse in one of he world’s poorest regions,” she says. “That’s when I realized that what I want to do is to serve people with the gifts and talents I’ve been given.”

The conditions were rough, but according to Julie, mission work helped solidify everything she’s learned about Jesus. The experience has strengthened her conviction that she’s right where God wants her to be -- and she plans to continue her journey.

“When I look back on my nursing career, all of my experiences have been very specific and very specialized,” she muses. “There are many things I’ve learned that would have been helpful in Africa.”

“Though I’ve not made plans yet, I know they’ll be very helpful when I go back.”