RN , Masters (Alumni)
Lori Frias, RN, was brought up in a humble but loving home, in a family that included her parents, seven sisters and three brothers. Early in life, she developed a strong work ethic working every summer as a migrant worker that included picking cotton and green chili in New Mexico to planting and harvesting onion, fieldwork of sugar beets and sugarcane in Texas and Colorado where they finally settled. Her parents were very old-fashioned, very strict and did not have the means or knowledge of the importance of an education, therefore, their goal for Ms. Frias and her sisters was to get married, which she accomplished at the age of 17. She is proud to be the first generation in her family to earn a college degree, although it happened later in her life. She has obtained an associate degree in nursing, accepted at UNC for her BSN then accepted at the University of Colorado where she is currently studying to complete the Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program.
She will complete the FPMHNP program by the end of 2016, and will help her community with mental health illnesses and substance use disorders. She is fluent in Spanish language and looks forward to helping the Latino community. Her strengths are the values she learned while growing up that include respect, honesty, compassion, and commitment. This advanced nursing degree will increase her responsibilities and will use her strengths to help patients reach their full potential and quality of life while incorporating health promotion and disease prevention. Ms. Frias would like to reach out to the low-socioeconomic and underserved populations and to improve conditions and opportunities for the youth population.