Salve Success: Tierni Cote ’24 – nursing major, tutor and president

Tierni Cote ’24 has her hands full when it comes to juggling nursing classes and clinicals, tutoring students in the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), and fulfilling the role of president of the Multicultural Student Organization (MSO).

But this busy schedule suits her drive to become a hardworking nurse someday, while also inspiring others along the way.

Learning from her mother’s love

As a nursing major, Cote originally found her love of helping others, work ethic and mentoring from her mother. Cote explains how her mother has always provided for her and her sister, and she has learned from her mother the importance of determination and an open mind.

“I’ve always really loved helping others,” said Cote. “I get it from my mom. She’s a nurse, but she’s also physically disabled as an amputee …. [She] is such a hard worker. She shows me how important it is not to judge other people. Whether they have a physical or mental disability, everyone’s a person, and there’s not too much of a difference between people.”

Tierni Cote ’24 is pictured with her mother.

Cote found that assisting her mother throughout her life has motivated her drive to serve other people in as many ways as she can. The reward she gains from helping others is worth the tireless work she puts in, and this clear across her time while at Salve Regina.

Fears as a first-year

As a sophomore nursing major, Cote knows the anxieties that first-year students face when entering their major and beginning their coursework. Content is covered quickly and the expectation to do well is clear, so Cote found herself worried that she would fall behind.

Making it through her first semester, she understood the workload and found the key ingredient to success: working with her fellow students to study, compare and tutor through the Academic Center for Excellence here at Salve Regina. The community she found within the program inspired her to become an ACE tutor for nursing and other courses she excelled in.

“I really enjoy tutoring people. When I was a freshman nursing student, it was intimidating,” Cote explained. “I want to be the student that can be like, ‘You’re going to get through this. It’s doable.’”

Cote emphasizes the importance of a sense of community on campus whether through academics, extracurriculars or friends made along the way. Entering Salve Regina during hybrid-learning, she found that finding like-minded students and staff gave her a sense of normalcy.

Promoting safe spaces on campus

Gaining the title of president of the Multicultural Student Organization as a sophomore, Cote wanted to have a role in an organization that is based on creating a safe environment for everyone.

Cote found in her first year that MSO provided an opportunity for those of any background or race to feel they are validated and welcome, and she wanted in. Now that she has taken on the leadership role, she finds all the responsibility immensely rewarding.

“The Multicultural Student Organization is for everyone, but especially for students of color and people who feel like they need a special place on campus. It’s really nice to see friendships made in the club,” Cote continued. “As president, I want to give back to the multicultural program and what they gave to me by creating a safe environment.”

Cote has also found that her experience in the organization has translated into nursing, as it’s crucial for nurses to learn cultural competency. Understanding the characteristics and expectations of other cultures grants Cote and her fellow nursing students the tools to cater to the needs of diverse patients.

With a bright future ahead of her both at Salve Regina and beyond, Cote looks forward to continuing her education and serving throughout her college experience.

Article by student writer Catherine Fiocco ’23

Salve Success is a series of student success stories periodically featured on SALVEtoday. Check out the tag Salve Success for more stories.