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Brandon Maeda, a nursing graduate, said that his experience traveling the world as a merchant mariner gave him an appreciation of the diversity of cultures and a desire to do something major with his life in a humanistic way. Previously while traveling in Asia, Maeda followed the work of Doctors Without Borders and saw the great need for nurses and caregivers. "The SARS scare and the tsunami in 2004 really left a deep impact on me and was a great part of my motivation to go into nursing," said Maeda. He decided that combining training as a nurse with seafaring would give him the opportunity to give back in a meaningful, yet adventurous, way.

"I had not been in a classroom in 30 years," said Maeda. "It was very intimidating." Before signing on to a nursing program, he purchased a math workbook to help him prepare. "The first question was on fractions, and I couldn't do it. I put the book away for a while." But he didn’t give up. Maeda signed up for English and math classes at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in St. Mary's County. He passed both and then signed up for pre-nursing classes at CSM's Leonardtown Campus. He finished his pre-nursing requirements with a 4.0 grade point average and graduated with honors. "The two-and-a-half-year program took me five years, but here I am," he said.