Having a best friend is the key for many to get through nursing school. For nursing six students Lauren Crandall and Marco Munoz, they had the luxury of not only being best friends, but each other’s future support as husband and wife.
“We met back in high school; we were actually each other’s wing person,” explained Crandall.
Crandall and Munoz met and attended Oakland Christian School, in Auburn Hills, Mich.
“I was interested in another girl, but Lauren realized she had feelings for me,” said Marco Munoz. “In the end, it all worked out.”
Both Munoz’s and Crandall’s families have attended Michigan State University for generations, so their choice of where to go after high school was easy. Crandall knew nursing was calling her after a long-term stay in the hospital as a teenager.
“I had a 12-level spine fusion while I was in high school. I had previously been diagnosed with scoliosis in second grade.” said Crandall “During my stay, the nurses were just amazing.”
The nurses caring for her told Crandall about the Nurse Scholar program offered at MSU. Students can apply to this program to be guaranteed admission to the nursing college upon completing their general pre-requisites. Crandall worked from then on to become a Spartan Nurse.
For Munoz, his love of nursing came after researching other majors. In the end, his passion for caring for others brought him to the college.
“I went to a few seminars on programs and none of them felt like they were a fit for me,” said Munoz. “I was deciding between going to medical school and nursing. In the end, the bedside care and interaction with patients brought me to nursing.”
Having each other to lean on during nursing school was the key to both Crandall’s and Munoz’s success.
“We’re a little competitive. Our grade point averages are almost the same to the hundredth percent,” said Crandall. “It’s so much fun, because if I dated someone outside of the program, I know I wouldn’t see them, but Marco understands what it’s like to wake up early for clinicals.”
Munoz not only understood what it was like, but also supported Crandall through the program.
“Marco would wake up when he didn’t have clinical and drive me to Ann Arbor because he knew I was tired and needed the sleep,” said Crandall.
“I think it’s nice that we can both understand what the other is going through,” said Munoz. “We understand that there is so much that goes into nursing school.”
Crandall echoed that statement, stating it made their relationship stronger and brought them closer as a couple. It made it easier to find quality time while also having time to study.
After graduation, the couple are not only looking forward to starting their new jobs but starting their lives together. They plan on getting married this summer. Crandall joked there are a lot of changes happening in a short about of time.
“It’s been a great experience — we had a great cohort. We were so glad we came to the College of Nursing,” said Crandall.
Munoz agreed fully with his fiancé’s statement.
“I am so glad we came to MSU,” said Munoz. “This was the perfect fit for both of us and brought us closer together.”
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