Alumni spotlight: Shyanne Dela Vega
Online BSN to DNP, Class of 2024
For as long as she can remember, Shyanne Dela Vega dreamed of working in the health care field.
“When I was a child, I would always dress up as a nurse for career day,” she recalls. “I wanted to be a nurse because I wanted to make a difference in people's lives.”
When Shyanne was a teenager, her grandmother passed away due to lung cancer. This further solidified Shyanne’s resolve to go into the nursing profession.
“She was my inspiration. She supported me and inspired me to pursue my dreams. When I would visit her in the hospital, she was always reminding me that the sky is the limit,” Shyanne says.
“I watched her fight through her constant battle. She underwent chemotherapy and then eventually life support when the cancer progressed. And during my visits, I saw how dedicated the nurses at the hospital were in assisting with my grandma's needs at her bedside. It was there that I discovered the role of a nurse practitioner.”
Choosing HPU for her nursing education
Shyanne enrolled in Hawai’i Pacific University in 2016, earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2020. After graduating, she worked for several years as a registered nurse at a VA hospital and at a long-term care facility.
Wanting to make an even greater impact, Shyanne decided to pursue her online Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2021. When it came to choosing a school, she says her undergraduate experience at HPU made returning to her alma mater for her DNP an easy decision.
“As a proud alumna, I believe my values have aligned well with those of HPU from the start of my nursing journey. I gained far more than just a bachelor's degree. I learned a lot about myself and my passion for health care,” she says.
“I found myself being more independent and taking the initiative to get involved on campus, organize study groups with my classmates, schedule meetings with my professors, volunteer through the Student Nurses Association, become a peer mentor, and much more.”
In addition to her positive undergraduate experience, other contributing factors in choosing HPU for graduate school were the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program’s CCNE accreditation, and the fact that HPU offered online courses with a manageable workload and deadlines.
Gaining hands-on experience
Shyanne’s time in the DNP program exceeded her expectations. She developed her skills in a wide range of new areas, such diagnosing patients, writing treatment plans, and prescribing medication.
One particular course that stood out to her was Business and Finance Essentials for the DNP. “We were able to design what business we would like to have in the future,” she says, “and I thought that was really fun.”
She also found her clinics to be extremely beneficial.
“HPU prepared me to become a better practitioner by allowing me to go to so many different clinical sites. I was able to gain hands-on experience and learn from different preceptors. I thought that was great.”
She adds that one of her favorite aspects of the DNP program was having the autonomy to select the topic for her doctoral project, which focused on helping health care professionals work better in teams using Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) training.
TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based program that emphasizes the roles and responsibilities of team members, investigates ways to manage conflict, and reduces barriers to quality and safety in the workplace.
“I really poured my heart into that project,” she proudly says.
Dedicated support throughout her journey
As a working RN pursuing a doctoral degree, Shyanne’s schedule was very busy, and she says the accessibility of the HPU faculty and staff was a huge help.
“I was able to contact my professors via email, text, or call,” she says. “They always responded in a timely manner. My professors answered all my questions to help me gain a better understanding of the assignments.”
Shyanne’s student support coach also helped ensure that she stayed on track.
“She would text me at the beginning of every semester to check in on me and we would do periodic Zoom calls, too. Anytime I needed assistance or had any questions I could just text her. It was really nice knowing that she was always available and that there was somebody I could count on.”
Developing new skills with an eye on the future
Shyanne, who earned her DNP degree in 2024, was recently selected to be part of the first cohort of a VA primary care nurse practitioner residency in Hawai’i. She was one of only three candidates chosen for this highly competitive program.
After completing her residency, Shyanne hopes to further develop her skillset by gaining additional experience in specialized areas including women’s health and aesthetic dermatology. Her long-term goal is to open her own private practice.
No matter what her future holds, Shyanne takes great satisfaction in knowing that she’s making the world a better place.
“I became a nurse because I wanted to make a difference in people's lives,” she says. “Whether their distress is physical, emotional, or spiritual, nurses share humanity's most intimate moments. And we’re constantly reminded of the necessity of valuing the dignity and worth of every person.
“My mission is to extend a helping hand to those in need. That's what the profession is about: Serving those beyond your loved ones.”
Take the next step in your nursing career
If you aspire to expand your scope of practice and have an even greater impact in your community, consider the online Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Hawai’i Pacific University.
Offered in both BSN-DNP and MSN-DNP paths, the program is 100% online and prepares students to become advanced practice practitioners who are capable of making a difference in health care.
