In recognition of National Nurses Week 2025, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) is showcasing two of our student nurses who currently work full time in the profession. In the spotlight below, contributing writer Tanzina Vega takes a look at their career paths and shares how CUNY SPS has helped make their dreams of providing professional and compassionate care come true.
Inspired by her mother’s 44-year nursing career, Kristine Pisano has dedicated her professional life to serving the children of the Bronx—a community she calls her “home away from home.”
As the per diem Assistant Director of Nursing at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Pisano is responsible for supervising nursing staff, coordinating support during clinical emergencies and leading conflict resolution efforts.
Pisano is also an adjunct professor at both the Montefiore School of Nursing and Iona University, where she teaches classes including Dosage and Calculation, Competency-Based Education, and Clinical Judgment. Pisano has also taught courses in Health Assessment, Medical-Surgical Nursing, and Pediatrics.
Her path to becoming a nurse educator began early in her career, driven by a natural inclination to teach. “I found myself running toward the nursing students and new hires, volunteering to precept [mentor] them when many others were running in the opposite direction,” she said. Her bachelor’s degree in biology enabled her to teach Anatomy and Physiology in a licensed practical nurse (LPN) program.
What Kristine finds most fulfilling is the opportunity to uplift and support students from diverse backgrounds—many balancing full-time jobs and evening classes while pursuing their dream of becoming nurses. “Their passion to become nurses and change the world is an inspiration to me. My students have taught me far more than I could ever teach them,” she says. “It is an honor and a privilege to educate the future of our profession. Seeing a struggling student succeed brings me no greater joy.”
As a wife and working mother of three—a 9-year-old son, 6-year-old daughter, and 4-year-old daughter—Pisano deeply understands the need for flexibility. When she began pursuing an MS in Nursing Education at CUNY SPS, she selected the program for its affordability, asynchronous structure, and flexibility, which allowed her to balance academics with raising a young family.
“The ability to tuck my children into bed and then complete coursework online was essential,” she said. “I never thought it was possible, but CUNY SPS made it possible.” In order to complete her degree, Pisano took one course a semester, including summers, for five years. The schedule allowed her to balance three jobs and three children while pursuing her degree.
Pisano will graduate in May and has been selected to serve as the graduate student speaker at the 2025 Nursing Convocation and Pinning Ceremony. She credits her advisor, Dr. Patricia Bartley-Daniele, for inviting her to participate and for being a key mentor throughout her time in graduate school. “Her down-to-earth personality and genuine caring nature—even reaching out when my third child was born—made me feel so supported,” Pisano said.
In her upcoming remarks, Pisano hopes to inspire her fellow graduates as they begin their careers. “I hope my fellow graduates realize the importance of their role as a nurse: a compassionate patient advocate, a beacon of light and hope to the most vulnerable,” she said.
For Scott Levine, the path to nursing school was inspired by his wife. “She was the person who showed me it was possible to go back to school and start over with a purpose,” Levine said. “Watching her pursue her nursing career with such dedication gave me the confidence to take that leap myself. Before attending nursing school, Levine was an expert in spirits and fine dining. But he wanted to do something more “meaningful” after watching the heroism of medical personnel, particularly nurses, during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Today, he works in the outpatient psychiatry department at NYC Health and Hospitals, Queens Hospital Center in the partial hospitalization program. He also serves as the behavioral health council chairperson for the hospital’s professional staff governance where he advocates for frontline staff and leads initiatives to improve the quality of care. “For me, the most fulfilling part of nursing is forming meaningful connections with people in crisis and supporting them on their path to healing,” he said.
His responsibilities at Queens Hospital Center include providing medication education and management, conducting clinical assessments, and helping patients navigate their recovery as they transition between inpatient to community care. “Queens is one of the most diverse places in the world, and I feel fortunate to serve a patient population that reflects such a rich mix of cultures, languages, and lived experiences,” Levine said.
Levine decided to focus his own studies on nursing and mental health after learning about the subject at LaGuardia Community College where he began his nursing studies. ”Just as no one chooses to have cancer, no one chooses to have a mental illness,” Levine said. “I strive to help patients and their families understand this through empathy, education, and by cultivating a therapeutic environment in my practice.” Levine will graduate this month with his BS in Nursing from CUNY SPS.
For Levine, the transition from LaGuardia to the CUNY SPS program was “seamless.” The program “allowed me to fast-track my studies while balancing the demands of work and family.”
This month Levine was invited to be the undergraduate student speaker for the 2025 CUNY SPS Nursing Convocation and Pinning Ceremony. “I see this role as a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come as a class, not only in our academic journeys, but in our growth as compassionate, capable nurses ready to make a difference,” Levine said. “Nurses don’t just impact individual lives, we shape families, communities, and systems. My goal is to encourage each graduate to carry that responsibility with pride and purpose as they move forward in their careers.”
About the CUNY SPS Online Nursing Programs
The CUNY School of Professional Studies offers a portfolio of online degree and advanced certificate programs in nursing in order to help fill the growing void within the healthcare system. Serving as the first fully online nursing degrees in the CUNY system, our programs help nurses advance within their careers while continuing their education in a timely, flexible, and affordable way.
About the CUNY School of Professional Studies
As New York's leading online school since 2006, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) offers the most online bachelor's and master's degree options at the City University of New York, and serves as the University's first undergraduate all-transfer college. With 26 degrees and numerous other non-degree and grant-funded workplace learning programs, CUNY SPS meets the needs of adults who wish to finish a bachelor's degree, progress from an associate's degree, earn a master's degree or certificate in a specialized field, and advance in the workplace or change careers. Consistently ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report for its online offerings, CUNY SPS has emerged as a nationwide leader in online education. The School's renowned and affordable online programs ensure that busy working adults may fulfill their educational goals on their own time and schedule.
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