Second-year BSN student elected Vice President of National Student Nurses' Association

A Pitt Nursing second-year BSN student, and current Mental Health Chair of the Pitt Nursing Student Association, was elected to serve on the National Students Nurses’ Association Board of Directors.

Kayla HoneysettKayla Honeysett was elected vice president of the National Student Nurses’ Association during the organization’s 71st annual convention in Nashville in April.

“There was a lot of anticipation leading up to the vote because I had spent every spare minute over the first three days of the conference creating my campaign materials and speaking to students,” said Honeysett. “At the last meeting of the House of Delegates of the conference, my heart raced to 140 beats per minute as I waited for the results. When they finally announced the results of the Vice President, and I heard my name, I was so excited! I immediately turned to my friends and felt so loved and supported by them. As I walked to the front of the House of Delegates to accept my new role, I looked out at the ~250 nursing students from across the country and felt proud that they elected me to represent them. I am so grateful for the opportunity to represent an organization with over 50,000 members and have a voice on a national level!”

Honeysett said as vice president, she will have several responsibilities, including speaking at conferences, leading the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee, and contributing to both the Finance and Breakthrough to Nursing Committees. As the Health Policy and Advocacy Chair, Honeysett will review the resolutions that have passed and incorporate them into her goals for the year.

“While the committee will collectively agree on our goals for the year, I hope to be able to advocate for mental health, people with disabilities, and school and workplace safety,” she said. “I want to encourage nursing students to use their voices and votes to create a better future for students, nurses, and patients.”

Honeysett joined the Pitt Nursing Student Association as a first-year BSN student as an opportunity to meet other nursing students. She said she got more involved when she joined the mental health committee and enjoyed what the group did for mental health advocacy and promotion. It eventually led her to be named the Mental Health Chair of the student-run organization.

“So far, my committee members and I have presented on several mental health topics such as patient’s mental health in the hospital, men’s mental health, LGBTQIA+ mental health, and sleep awareness week,” she said. “I have also planned de-stressing activities such as posting sticky note affirmations in Victoria classroom 125, playing board and card games, and dancing along to Just Dance videos. My goals for the future include presenting to the First Year Seminar classes about the importance of self-care through nursing school and allow the first-year students to ask questions to the upperclassmen. I hope to reduce anxiety about classes and clinical rotations and share mental health resources with them. Overall, I believe that mental health is so important and am thankful to be able to increase awareness in our community! I am so grateful for NSA because I have found an amazing, supportive community of students, and I would encourage all students to join.”

Honeysett is the second Pitt Nursing student elected to the National Student Nurses’ Association Board of Directors. In 2022, Azariah Torain was elected as the Imprint Editor, becoming the first Pitt Nursing student to serve on the national organization’s board of directors.