At 20-years old, most young men and women are still figuring out what comes next. But for a Galen College of Nursing graduate, she’s already set to begin her career as a professional nurse.

Tristan Smith, 20, enrolled at Galen directly after finishing high school, and after two years in the associate degree in nursing (ADN) program at Galen’s Asheville, N.C. campus, she’s graduated and already accepted a registered nurse position at Mission Hospital in Asheville.

“It is definitely very surreal,” Smith said of graduating at age 20. “You’re always thinking about what you’re going to do next…but I have a job, I’m done with nursing school, the next step’s the NCLEX and starting my career.”

Even at a young age, Smith arrived on Galen’s Asheville campus with patient care experience.

While still in high school, she became a certified nursing assistant and began working at a local long‑term care facility.

“I’ve always enjoyed being around, like, taking care of people,” Smith said. “Being there at people’s most vulnerable moments, it means a lot. Being there at people’s lowest was a lot of what I did,” she said. “It’s hard, but it’s very rewarding at the same time, and I knew immediately that’s what I wanted to do.”

That early passion for patient care led Smith to a familiar place for college.

Smith was no stranger to Galen.

She is the daughter of Rebecca Matthews, MSN, RN CHSE, a Galen Clinical Learning Specialist with a focus on Simulation. Matthews was once one of the first hires when the Asheville campus was preparing to open in 2022, and even though she has since moved into a remote role for Galen’s main campus, she still stayed in touch with her former colleagues on campus.

When it came time to consider her next stop, Galen’s Asheville campus was just what Smith was looking for.

“I never wanted to go away to college, like, to a four‑year university and live in a dorm,” she said.

Instead, Smith found that she loved Galen’s hands‑on approach to nursing education, especially in simulation.

“If you mess up, you’re messing up on a mannequin,” Smith said. “You’re able to look back on it and say, ‘What could I do differently next time?’”

Even with Matthews’ connections to faculty on campus and her role as a Galen employee, she did her best to stay out of her daughter’s way.

“I worked very hard to maintain that boundary,” Matthews said. “I wanted this to be her journey. I wanted her to know that when she graduates, she did it all on her own.”

Perhaps it’s no surprise that the area Smith felt most comfortable was in Simulation. It was in the simulation room where she used to watch her mom work, and then when Smith was a student, it was where she was able to learn the most.

“I really enjoyed simulation,” Smith said. “I thought it taught me a lot. It also helped me understand things on, like, a test-taking side. I think it’s easier for me personally to see something, and apply it, and then remember it afterwards.”

Smith was able to take those lessons and apply it to her clinical rotations, where she really found her stride as a student.

“I would hear it in her stories when she would come home from clinical, where all of a sudden, she’d say ‘It’s now making sense, Mom’,” Matthews said. “It was just little things when you have these great lightbulb moments.”

Through it all, Smith was able to stay on track, and she graduated at the end of the Spring 2026 term with her ADN. It was a moment that made herself, and her family, incredibly proud.

“To do that at age 20, that is amazing,” Matthews said.

If Tristan’s story sounds like the future you’ve been imagining, you don’t have to wait to begin. At Galen, our PN/VN, ADN, and three-year BSN programs are built around real-world skills, supportive faculty, and a clear path into the profession. Wherever you are in your journey, we’re here to help you take the next step toward becoming a nurse.