Georgetown BSN Students Gain Firsthand Experience in Health Policy on Capitol Hill
(February 17, 2026) — Undergraduate students from Georgetown University’s Berkley School of Nursing traveled to Capitol Hill February 10 and 11 to participate in the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) Hispanic Health Policy Summit, engaging in conversations about federal health policy and gaining firsthand experience in how to make their voices heard in shaping legislation around nursing education and patient care.
(From l) Erica Koenigsberg (N’27); Claire Auslander (N’26); Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran, PhD, RN; My Nguyen (N’26); and Julia Strimling (N’26) attended the NAHN Hispanic Health Policy Summit in D.C.
BSN seniors My Nguyen (N’26), Julia Strimling (N’26), Claire Auslander (N’16) and junior Erica Koenigsberg (N’27) attended educational sessions, joined by assistant professor Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran, PhD, RN, and colleagues from NAHN.
Nguyen and Strimling met with policymakers, including representatives from the offices of Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), to discuss legislation aimed at strengthening the clinical training pipeline for future nurses. They successfully procured new support for H.R. 392, the “Providing Real-world Education and Clinical Experience by Precepting Tomorrow’s Nurses (PRECEPT) Nurses Act,”from Holmes Norton, and learned that Steube will vote in support of H.R. 1667, the “Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act,” which establishes grants and requires other activities to improve mental and behavioral health among health care providers.
(From r) Julia Strimling (N’26) and My Nguyen (N’26) visited Capitol Hill to advocate for a nurse education bill, pictured here with Michael O. Fraser, legislative counsel in Rep. Holmes Norton’s office.
“Their engagement in support of the PRECEPT Nurses Act is a meaningful contribution to strengthening the clinical training pipeline for future nurses,” said Berkley School of Nursing Dean Roberta Waite, EdD, RN, PMHCNS, ANEF, FADLN, FAAN, “We are proud of their impact and grateful for the mentorship guiding this important work.”
Mirabal-Beltran complemented the students saying they represented Georgetown well.
“Everywhere I turned, [NAHN] members from across the country were sharing with me what a pleasure it had been to speak to the Georgetown students,” she said.
(From l) Julio Cruz Garcia (N’27); Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran, PhD, RN; Daniela Grados Rojas (N’27); and Kiara Barillas (N’27) attended the NAHN DC Metro closing Summit event in Washington.
In addition, three students, Kiara Barillas (N’27), Daniela Grados Rojas (N’27) and Julio Cruz Garcia (N’27), were sponsored by individual donors to attend the NAHN Metro Chapter’s fundraising event at the conclusion of the Summit in Washington, giving them additional opportunities to understand their role in advocacy and professional organizations.
Because Georgetown’s nursing school is in Washington, D.C., students have more opportunities to experience policymaking and to hone their skills as advocates.