Gabrielle Higgins: Senior Gabrielle Higgins will attend Hawaii Pacific University

Senior Gabrielle Higgins had only three requirements when looking at colleges. 

One: somewhere with a beach to tan and go shelling. Two: to be as far away as possible from Kansas City.

So she decided on Hawaii Pacific University after a summer of touring schools in Hawaii, such as the University of Hawaii Manoa — 3,894 miles away from Kansas City.

“I knew I wanted to go really far, and I think I just wanted to be able to do things on my own,” Gabrielle said.

Oh, and the final requirement: a top-tier nursing program where she could use her newly acquired Certified Nursing Assistant certificate. 

Gabrielle has been a part of the medical science program at the Center for Academic Achievement since her junior year and received her CNA certificate in December of 2025. And Gabrielle’s older brother, Finnegan, is a nursing major at the University of Kansas. Gabrielle gets to connect and chat with him all about her hospital rotations through the CAA.

Nursing has been part of Gabrielle’s college plan for seven years.

“I think in the beginning she was talking about going to vet school,” her mom, Stacy Higgins, said. “And then I think she probably transitioned into thinking about the fact that she likes kids so much, and she didn't want to take one of the chemistry classes that was required for vet school.”

Plus, after learning from her mom in fifth grade that pets can’t tell a veterinarian what’s wrong, Gabrielle switched her interest to nursing, where the patients do speak. 

“I was set on nursing because if you get a nursing degree, you can do so much with it,” Gabrielle said. “You can always change focus if you don't like it, which I think is really nice. Hospitals literally always need nurses.”

Labor and delivery is the focus Gabrielle is planning on going into. As a babysitter, Gabrielle knew she would love a nursing focus that let her see newborns. 

After living in landlocked Kansas for her whole life, Gabrielle is excited for activities one can only do on the beach.

“I'm really looking forward to going to the beach and tanning, but I love shelling,” Gabrielle said. “I'm excited to make jewelry out of all the shells I find.”

Gabrielle’s whole family visited Hawaii last year for the first time for her college visits, and she immediately could picture herself at Hawaii Pacific University. HPU only has around 5,000 students and she enjoyed the atmosphere of the small school. 

“It'll definitely be different, but I know she's really excited,” her brother and junior Quinn Higgins said. “She's always loved beaches. So I mean, I'm happy for her, but it'll be weird with her so far away.”