Dreams can be delayed, but with the right spirit, they may not be denied. For Mikaela Flores, a former student-athlete of the University of the Incarnate Word softball team, becoming a nurse was her dream, but getting there was not without its challenges.
 
"I always knew I wanted to go into nursing," said Flores. "When I went on my official visit, my coach had broken the news to me that it wasn't possible to do nursing and have the athletic scholarship.
 
"I was in this predicament of 'you've played this sport your whole life and you've put so much into it', and I had to let go of my plan and let God take over."


 
Flores went on to play four years for the Cardinals under then head coach Amanda Gamboa, starting in 2014 when the team was first transitioning into Division I as a member of the Southland Conference. All the while, she pursued a major in biology, which she chose knowing it would contribute to her nursing degree in the future.
 
Flores made an impact on the field during her first year as she earned third team all-Southland Conference honors as a utility player, hitting .400 at the plate while also serving as the team's top pitcher for much of the season. Her efforts on the field were matched by her dedication in the classroom being named to the Southland Commissioner's Honor Roll all four years and was an NFCA Scholar Athlete twice.


 
"I needed to finish that chapter of my life before I started another one," Flores said, reflecting on her athletic career. "You'll never have a bond like you have with your teammates especially in college, you are together more hours in the day than with your own family."
 
Following graduation, Flores stayed in San Antonio to get her degree in nursing at an accelerated program. Just a few years later, she now works at Midland Memorial Hospital in Midland, Texas, as a registered nurse in labor and delivery. She works with the pregnant women from the moment they get triaged to the post-partum process in helping stabilize the mothers and their babies.
 
"People think labor and delivery is all good times and happy babies, but it is a very critical time," Flores said. "You get to bring new life into this world, but it is about trying to be a helping hand during a vulnerable experience."
 
Like many medical professionals, her role has remained the same but now comes with heightened precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
"Once you become a medical professional, there is always a thought regarding cleanliness, however COVID-19 accelerated that," Flores said. "We usually wear gloves and masks, but now we are having to wear them all the time. It is hard to wear a mask for 12 hours straight. You can't even take of your mask at the nurses' station, basically from the moment you set foot in the hospital you are required to wear a mask."
 
In her case, there is a heightened precaution in dealing with patients since they are delivering babies.
 
"The scariest thing about it is people don't realize that when pregnant women come in 10 cm dilated and they are ready to push out a baby, you don't have time to ask them that list of 20 questions or if they have had symptoms or if they have been in close contact with someone with [COVID-19]," said Flores. "During the laboring process you are literally two feet from a woman's face while she is pushing and breathing. And then the same goes for being in contact after with a newborn baby seconds after extrauterine life."
 
All while dealing with delicate lives during a pandemic, Flores reflects on her journey to becoming a nurse, while still being able to play at the Division I level.
 
"It is going to be tough, but it is so worth it," she said. "I go to my job every day and can honestly say that I love what I do, there is nothing like helping someone who can't help themselves."