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PORTLAND, Ore. – Nurses are known for their strong sense of compassion and caring. But you wouldn’t want to mess with aspiring nurse Mare Cox.

The Portland Community College transfer student started this academic year as a first-year nursing student at Oregon Health & Science University and is known for dishing out kicks and punches in addition to excellent health care. Cox worked her way through lower division credits at PCC while honing her martial arts skills to prepare for her application to the OHSU’s School of Nursing. From anatomy and physiology to chemistry to, yes, martial arts, the college got her ready for her next stage of her academic journey.

“Ever since I was little girl I enjoyed science and connecting with people on a human level,” said Cox, a Hillsboro resident. “Nursing is the perfect career for me.”

But you might think, “Why martial arts?” It doesn’t exactly go with biology, chemistry or any of your normal science classes. Cox actually credits the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu course she took as part of her physical education option as the class that best prepared her for the high-pressure nursing career. Jiu Jitsu is a martial arts and combat sport system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. The sport is based on the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger, heavier assailant by using proper technique and leverage.

“That class was the most life changing thing for me,” Cox beamed. “It taught me to fight through challenges so I could reach my goals. It was amazing.”

Cox joined the team at Impact Jiu Jitsu in Hillsboro and took up Muay Thai and boxing, and is working her way up through the ranks. It all connects, she said, to her studies and career plans as nurses need to be strong and able to defend themselves in highly emotional emergency situations.

Cox excelled at PCC. Her last two years at the college included regular appearances on the President and Vice President’s academic lists. Cox, who is Cherokee Indian, even earned three PCC Foundation scholarships — one focused on minority students — to boost her success. In addition to her lower division requirements, she also earned an phlebotomy certification through the CLIMB Center, which allowed her to work part-time at Providence Health & Services.

After completing her lower division coursework this past spring at PCC with a sparkling 3.8 grade-point average, Cox applied for OHSU’s vaunted School of Nursing. The bachelor’s of science program is hard to get into with high entrance standards and expectations of its students. But soon after graduating from PCC, Cox got the acceptance letter in the mail that she was accepted into the 2021 nursing cohort and was able to start classes there this fall.

“Getting accepted to OHSU is one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced,” said Cox, who wants to become a nurse practitioner. “I had to re-read it to make sure I was reading it correctly. I just felt overwhelmed with excitement, joy and gratitude in that moment.”

For her complete story, visit: https://www.pcc.edu/news/2018/10/mare-cox/

About Portland Community College: Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and provides training, degree and certificate completion, and lifelong learning to more than 73,000 full- and part-time students in Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia counties. PCC has four comprehensive campuses, eight education centers or areas served, and approximately 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.

Visit PCC news on the web at http://news.pcc.edu/