My Life at CSUMB: Nursing student’s roots here go deep

By Mark Muckenfuss

Dillan Noel just wanted to be a pool lifeguard when he took a CPR class in high school. But learning the life-saving practice sparked an interest in the medical field, which eventually became a career path.

“I was enticed with the concept that I could use that knowledge to save someone's life in an emergency,” Noel said.

Noel, who trained and spent time working as an EMT before deciding to become a nurse, is now in the nursing program at Cal State Monterey Bay. He received his associate degree in nursing from Hartnell College in 2023 and is working as a nurse full-time while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in nursing.

A Salinas native, Noel grew up in the area and plans to continue working in the region’s healthcare industry as he progresses in his career. Once finished with his current program, he plans to pursue a master’s degree and become a nurse practitioner.

His roots with CSUMB go back to his childhood. He attended elementary school in Marina while his father earned his degree here. The family lived in East Campus housing. When he was looking for a bachelor’s degree in nursing program, becoming an Otter seemed a logical choice. 

“It was the college I was more familiar with,” Noel said. 

But he also appreciated what he heard from friends and learned from his research about the quality of the program.

“I wanted the highest quality education I could get,” he said. “I talked to students who were enrolled and they were saying some of the clinical opportunities they got to be involved in were good. For the most part, it is a very accommodating program for people like me who are working full time. That was important to me.”

He also enjoys the campus environs, although the 13-hour days he spends here don’t afford much time for strolling the grounds or relaxing. The quiet green campus is a stark contrast to the intense work he does as a palliative care nurse with Coastal Kids Home Care. 

On a recent Monday, he was working with an infant, changing the dressing on a central line that provides direct access to a vein. The infant has a condition where its digestive tract doesn’t  absorb enough nutrients from food consumed orally. Noel also spent time doing lab draws, physical assessment and educating the child’s family about managing its medical needs at home.

Seeing patients who range in age from infants to teenagers is a constant challenge, but it’s a job he was meant for, Noel said.

“I wanted a career where I could help people,” he said, “and this is an area where I can do that. I get to help people at some of their worst moments, and I find that gratifying.”

He looks forward to it every day. 

“It never gets old,” he said. “There’s always some new situation coming up that needs to be solved. I enjoy the challenge of that.”

Enjoy other stories in the My Life at CSUMB series.