TAMPA — From a very young age, Gina Nazario knew she wanted to dedicate her life to
medicine and to helping others. That passion began after her father suffered a heart
attack.
At the time, children were not allowed into hospital rooms during emergencies. When
she couldn’t go in to see her father, she did what any 4-year-old would do.
She made a bold declaration.
“I remember telling the doctor that I wanted to become a doctor, so I would never
be denied access to see my father,” Nazario said.
The moment shaped the course of her life.
She enrolled in a magnet middle school and high school with programs in healthcare
and pharmaceuticals. She volunteered at Hope Lodge, where she prepared meals for patients
with cancer and their families who were staying there during treatment. She earned
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cell and molecular biology, both at the University
of South Florida.
And as the current manager of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Rapid Tissue Donation program, Nazario is supporting groundbreaking cancer research that furthers clinical trials and improved cancer treatments.
On Saturday, Aug. 8, Nazario graduates with her MBA, becoming a triple Bull alumna
and taking another step toward her vow to help others.
“Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer while ensuring
that every patient knows they’re receiving the best possible care from people who
understand the many perspectives involved in their journey,” she said.
Denial and disappointment
For Nazario, that journey started with a rejection letter when she applied to be a
freshman at USF.
Denied by her dream school and unsure of her next steps, she refused to let the disappointment
define her future. She enrolled in Hillsborough Community College and worked tirelessly
to gain admission to USF.
While she was pursuing her bachelor’s degree in biology at USF, her father was diagnosed
with colon cancer. Suddenly her career path shifted from becoming a doctor to becoming
a researcher.
“I wanted to get to the source of the problem, and research felt like the best way
to do that,” she said.
During her final semester, her father passed away two months before graduation. Despite
the devastation and grief, she earned her bachelor’s degree and resolved to keep education
at the forefront.
If you really want something, you’ll push through the challenges. I pushed through being denied admission to USF. I pushed through balancing three part-time jobs while completing graduate school shortly after my father passed away. The thing that kept me going was having a clear goal.
Gina Nazario
Four years into her career at Moffitt, Nazario was selected by the National Marrow Donor Program (formerly known as Be The Match) as a stem cell and bone marrow donor match and donated to save the life of a stranger.
Pursuing an MBA
Nazario said she decided to pursue an MBA to understand the language of business and science and to improve communication between the two.
“I wanted to help scientists continue their projects and investigations without unnecessary
obstacles,” she said. “If someone understands both science and business, they can
serve as a translator between the two.”
She said her classes taught her valuable organizational methods and concepts.
“Before the program, I had many ideas but didn’t know how to organize them. The MBA
introduced frameworks and tools such as stakeholder analysis and project management
approaches that helped structure my thinking,” she said.
Nazario said she’s already applied the concepts in her work by helping scientists
and business departments organize projects, overcome obstacles and move initiatives
forward. She hopes her journey inspires others to never give up on themselves.
“If you really want something, you’ll push through the challenges,” she said. “I pushed
through being denied admission to USF. I pushed through balancing three part-time
jobs while completing graduate school shortly after my father passed away. The thing
that kept me going was having a clear goal.”
As clear as the declaration she made at age 4 when she was denied access to her dad.