Gardner-Webb Assistant Professor Angel Queen Helps Nursing Students Turn Setbacks into Success

Rising Star Faculty Award Recipient Teaches First-Year Nursing Students to Build Confidence, Resilience and a Growth Mindset Through FAIL: First Attempt In Learning

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—One of the first concepts Gardner-Webb Assistant Professor Dr. Angel Queen teaches her nursing students is what it means to fail: First Attempt In Learning. This simple lesson can be a game-changer for a first-year student in the traditional or accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.

Nursing school is rigorous, Queen added, and even the best high school students face challenges when they transition to nursing school. She advises her students, “Y’all are going to fail something—a checkoff, an exam, a quiz, a paper, and that’s OK.”

She speaks from her own experience as a nursing student. During her first year of nursing school, she nearly failed a required course. Vowing not to let that happen again, Queen improved her study habits and changed her approach to learning.

When she started teaching at Gardner-Webb in 2022, she recognized that her first-year students faced similar challenges. Many were also transitioning directly from high school into the demands of a nursing curriculum without having developed the study habits needed to succeed.

Conversations with struggling students reinforced Queen’s belief that additional support was needed. “I have this mentality that we have to meet students where they are, and then grow them to where they need to be,” she reflected. “We cannot expect them to be at excellence right when they start.”

After watching one of her student’s fail because she did not seek help, Queen became even more convinced that additional support was needed. Seeking to become a more effective educator, she decided to pursue her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and designed a nursing school orientation program as her dissertation project.

“I created this orientation, which was great, but then I noticed, well, some of this is going in one ear and out the other,” Queen related. “They don’t understand until they take that first test, until they take that first checkoff, until they’re in the program. They really need support that whole first semester.”

She pitched the idea of expanding the orientation program into a semester-long course, NURS 200: Nursing Essentials and designed the curriculum. In the class, Queen helps first-year students develop a “growth mindset,” encouraging them to view failure as part of the learning process rather than a barrier to success.

“You don’t know what to fix until you fail,” Queen affirmed. “And so, changing their mindset and really helping them understand, yes, the importance, but that they can do it as well. We basically walk with them, kind of hold their hand a little bit in their first semester.”

Students, like Hannah Onyango and Rylee Parris, said the course provides both practical tools and the confidence needed to navigate nursing school successfully.

Onyango, of Rutherfordton, N.C., is a junior traditional BSN student who plans to graduate in May 2028. She was inspired to pursue a nursing career after suffering a severe spinal injury that resulted in an extended hospital stay. During her recovery, Onyango witnessed firsthand the impact compassionate nurses can have on patients and their families.

“Seeing how profoundly they impacted my recovery ignited a desire within me to become that same source of healing and strength for others,” Onyango shared.

Nursing Essentials later helped ease her own transition into nursing school. “Entering nursing school, it is almost impossible to escape the widespread narrative of how overwhelming and challenging the program will be,” Onyango said. “Nursing Essentials completely shifted my perspective by demystifying the journey ahead. Instead of feeling intimidated, I left the course feeling grounded, confident and mentally prepared.”

Parris, also a junior traditional BSN student, said her desire to enter the nursing profession was inspired by a personal health challenge. After being diagnosed with appendix cancer, now in remission, Parris experienced the compassion of healthcare professionals during a difficult season of life.

“The care and support they provided made such a difference in my life,” Parris recalled. “That experience inspired me to want to be that same source of comfort and encouragement for someone else during one of the most difficult times in their life.”

As she began nursing school, Parris said Nursing Essentials provided a foundation for success.

“When I first started, I felt like I had no idea what to do or how to prepare for my classes,” she said. “This class gave us ways to prioritize studying, manage time and develop study habits we can rely on throughout nursing school.”

In addition to time management, test-taking strategies and study skills, students are introduced to the professional mindset of nursing while building essential skills such as communication, critical thinking, flexibility and collaboration. The course also fosters a sense of community among future nurses.

Onyango pointed to one lesson that proved especially valuable. “Understanding and applying Bloom’s Taxonomy was a game-changer for my academic journey,” she explained. Originally developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom and a team of colleagues, the Taxonomy is a learning framework that helps students move beyond memorization to analyzing, evaluating and applying knowledge in real-world clinical situations. Onyango added, “I now structure my daily study habits around higher-order thinking, moving from basic recall to analyzing and evaluating complex clinical scenarios, which transformed how I master intricate nursing concepts.”

Parris said one of the most meaningful lessons she learned from Queen was embracing failure as a necessary part of growth. “Failing a test or checkoff can be disappointing,” Parris acknowledged. “However, what matters most is how you respond. I have learned that failure does not define us; how we respond to it helps shape us into the nurses we want to become.”

The innovative curriculum, along with Queen’s scholarship and commitment to student success, contributed to her receiving the Rising Star Faculty Award.

The class, now in its third semester, is already helping with student retention. Queen has also observed students gaining confidence and reaching important breakthroughs in their academic journeys. “I really see those ‘Aha!’ moments coming a little earlier, which I’m really excited about,” Queen noted.

Both students point to Queen’s influence as extending beyond the classroom. Onyango said Queen models the professionalism and sense of purpose that define the nursing profession, while Parris credits the course’s emphasis on a growth mindset with helping her view every challenge as an opportunity to improve.

Grounded in Christian faith and a supportive learning community, Gardner-Webb University provides a transformative education that prepares students to lead with purpose, serve others, and make meaningful contributions to their professions and communities for God and humanity. Located on a 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., the University offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors to students from over 27 countries. Become More at gardner-webb.edu.