How Maya Korol ’26 Found a Mentor — and a Friend — in Ann Brewer ’84

By Caitlin Clark

When Maya Korol ’26 joined the Badger Nurse Mentorship Program, she expected a few conversations with an experienced alum about life after graduation. Instead, she found something much more meaningful: a trusted mentor, career advocate, and friend.

During the 2025–26 academic year, Maya, then a student in the School of Nursing’s accelerated bachelor of science in nursing (ABSN) program, was paired with mentor and alum Ann Brewer ’84. As Maya prepared to graduate and begin the next chapter of her nursing career, Ann helped her navigate the challenges, opportunities, and uncertainties that come with entering the profession.

“I expected the mentoring experience to be a few casual meetings with an alum that just went over what to expect while becoming a nurse,” Maya says. “What I was most surprised by is the friendship I was able to foster with my mentor. She became someone I could debrief and disclose experiences with, and I felt like she really was advocating for me the entire year.”

For Ann, building that kind of relationship is one of the most rewarding parts of mentoring.

“I started informally mentoring students 10 years ago and found that it was an unbelievable experience for both me and the student,” Ann says. “They have someone that they can confide in about any fears that they have about going into the profession. It is also a learning experience for both of us. The beauty of it is that you form a friendship with someone before they begin their career, and you are so lucky if you can continue this friendship for years to come, which I have been so lucky to do.”

If friendship and support were among the most meaningful outcomes of the mentorship, a broader vision for her future in nursing was another.

“The advice that stuck with me most was that I can do anything with my degree,” Maya says. “My mentor really encouraged me to explore all that nursing had to offer and all the unique experiences and opportunities she took advantage of during her nursing career.”

Maya didn’t just hear that nursing offered endless possibilities — she saw it in the path Ann had taken. Over the course of what Ann describes as “one of the most incredible careers I can ever imagine,” she worked in direct patient care, health care administration, government service, and national health leadership. After serving as a staff nurse in pediatrics, orthopedics, and intensive care, she became a home care program director and later served as female health coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. She also spent seven years on the Wisconsin Board of Nursing, including two years as chairperson.

In 2002, Ann moved to Washington, D.C., to join the National Institutes of Health as director of the executive secretariat, working closely with NIH leadership and directors across its institutes and centers. Following her retirement in 2015, she returned to Madison to be closer to her grandchildren. Four years into retirement, she realized she wasn’t ready to leave nursing behind and became a nurse advocate for a private health advocacy company. She also remains actively involved with the university through service on the School of Nursing’s Board of Visitors and the School of Medicine and Public Health’s Initiative to End Alzheimer’s Disease board.

For Maya, Ann’s career demonstrated that there is no single path to a successful nursing career. Instead, it showed how one degree can open doors to a lifetime of opportunities, from bedside care and administration to public service, advocacy, and national leadership.

It’s a lesson Ann intentionally shares with students.

“I always tell students that the opportunities in nursing are endless,” Ann says. “You may find that you start on one path that you thought was really what you wanted to do, but during your journey, you find another route that you want to investigate. My advice? Don’t be afraid to investigate it. Always know that you can open these doors.”

She also encourages students to view challenges as opportunities for growth.

“I tell them about the challenges they may encounter along the way, but to use these as learning experiences and a way to grow,” she says.

For Ann, mentoring is also an investment in the future of the profession. She says she is continually inspired by the nursing students she meets and is optimistic about the impact they will have in the years ahead.

“I am hoping that nurses continue to increase their visibility and prove how invaluable they are,” she says. “I am so impressed by all of the students I have worked with and observed. I see them as definitely part of advancing the availability of health care to everyone.”

That belief in the next generation is one reason Ann encourages fellow alumni to consider becoming mentors.

“Mentorship really connects you in a personal way to the School of Nursing. It is an incredibly rewarding experience for both the student and you. It also helps the students so much if they see the excitement that you have for nursing after you have experienced nursing … and it is so much fun to share the paths you’ve taken in nursing. It also doesn’t hurt to share the challenges you have had, and they may also encounter along the way,” says Ann.

Maya says the experience was equally rewarding from the student perspective.

“It was one of the most valuable parts of my nursing school career,” Maya says. “I loved the opportunity to be candid with an experienced nurse, network through someone with lots of experiences and connections, and have yet another Badger cheerleader supporting me through my educational journey.”

And if she had to sum up the experience in just a few words?

“Nursing school rocks, nursing rocks, and my mentor rocks!”