CASPER – Julia Samz received the Face of the Future award during the Wyoming Nurses Association’s annual convention Sept. 26.

Samz received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2021, graduating at the top of her class and serving as the class valedictorian. She received a Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Management in 2024. She began her career at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in its surgery department and later transferred to the medical surgical unit.

While with the unit, she completed an orientation plan and continued to seek learning opportunities, taking courses and working with staff in other departments. She also shared her capstone project with her director, the hospital’s CNO, and its education department, which will be presented to staff and implemented as part of the department’s fall prevention program. She also participated in a preceptor course through the Colorado School of Nursing and studies for the Certified Professional of Healthcare Quality exam in June. She intends to start work on a Master of Business Administration degree in healthcare management this summer.