Connected by care: How a family history of nursing excellence helped an ABSN student find her path
By Gianluca D'Elia
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Nursing is more than a career choice to MaryGrace Brizendine ’26N. It’s an important piece of her family’s story.
Joining the accelerated bachelor’s program (ABSN) during the School of Nursing’s centennial year, Brizendine has felt a personal connection to the School’s history — she’s a third-generation nurse, with grandmothers and aunts on both sides of her family who studied nursing at the University of Rochester.
“Seeing the dedication, compassion, and leadership demonstrated by the women in my family made nursing feel both familiar and inspiring, and created a strong sense of connection and tradition,” Brizendine said. “It reinforced my desire to follow a similar path while building my own identity within the profession.”
Nursing wasn’t Brizendine’s plan from the beginning. With an undergraduate degree in biobehavioral health and psychology, Brizendine initially felt torn between healthcare and law as potential career paths after college. Before coming to URochester, she worked in a law office and served as a youth education advocate at the Legal Aid Society of Rochester, a local nonprofit that helps adults and children access civil legal services.
Starting her career in legal settings furthered Brizendine’s passion for advocacy and helping others, but she still felt drawn to the idea of providing direct patient care. In the ABSN program, Brizendine found a place where she could build on the strengths of her previous education and career while transitioning into a clinical role.
“I was drawn to the hands-on, holistic role nurses play in supporting patients and their families,” Brizendine explained. “Nursing allows me to be present during some of the most vulnerable moments in a person’s life, and that ability to advocate, educate, and care for patients in a very direct way is what ultimately led me to this profession.”
Brizendine will finish the ABSN program in December 2026. After hearing stories of the School of Nursing’s lasting impacts on her aunts’ and grandmothers’ lives and careers, she is now adding her own chapter to her family’s story.
“I’ve built strong friendships with classmates who understand the challenges and intensity of the program, and those connections have made the experience both manageable and memorable. I’ve also been fortunate to learn from professors who are not only knowledgeable, but deeply invested in our success. Their support, encouragement, and real-world insight have made a lasting impact on my growth as a future nurse," she shared.
Marion Lopuszynski Holliday ’55N, MaryGrace Brizendine’s maternal grandmother, pictured above, was the first-ever recipient of the Clare Dennison Award, an annual award that recognizes excellence in care by an undergraduate student and is still presented to students at the School’s Convocation Ceremony today. She began her career as a med-surg nurse at Strong Memorial Hospital, and after leaving to raise her family, she became head nurse at St. John’s Nursing Home until her retirement. Holliday stayed active in the URochester community and helped plan Class of ’55 alumni reunions at every Meliora Weekend until she passed away in 2012.
Karen Johnson Brizendine ’60N, Brizendine’s paternal grandmother, worked as a nurse at Strong and taught LPN courses at Brockport State Teacher’s College (now SUNY Brockport) and the Education Opportunity Center. She served as director of nursing at Penfield Nursing Home for 5 years and retired from the Visiting Nurse Service, where she worked in quality assurance.
Valerie Brizendine ’84N, Brizendine’s paternal aunt, began her nursing career at Strong as a telemetry nurse. She has enjoyed full-time and part-time nursing positions across many specialties, such as surgery, nursing education, cardiac, intensive care, oncology, primary care, school nursing, and hospice – which she continues to work in today.
Kathryn Holliday Davis ’89N, ’95N (MS), Brizendine’s maternal aunt, became a nurse at Strong Memorial Hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit in 1989. Kathryn continues to practice in pediatrics, and has a daughter who's studying to nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. She will graduate at the same time as Brizendine in 2026.
Pictured in October 2010 at Meliora Weekend, Karen Brizendine '60N (center) and her classmates received medal honoring 50 years in nursing.
