Mackenzie Toussaint might just be one of the most active students at Collierville High School with the number of items she’ll be able to add to her resume. She’s a part of the National Technical Honor Society, National French Honor Society, 30 and Above Club, Senior to Sophomore Program, a Beta Club Member, HOSA Vice President, and a long-time member of the French Club. Outside of school, she’s spent 3 years as a Youth Council Member for the Memphis Region of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and is Secretary for Junior/Senior class for Young Women of her church. Not to mention her upstanding career as a Pride of Collierville band member and her success in Collierville’s Certified Nursing Program. I was lucky enough to ask her a few questions about her time inside and outside of school.

Q: Have you lived in Collierville your whole life, or did you move from somewhere else?

A: I actually moved to Collierville in 2017, right before my 7^th grade year of school. I lived about thirty minutes away in Oakland, Tennessee.

Q: What’s been your favorite part about the past 3 (almost 4) years at CHS?

A: My favorite thing about CHS is the many different opportunities available for students. There are many elective classes, AP classes, dual enrollment classes, career classes, sports, clubs, you name it. There is something for everyone.

Q: How long have you been in marching band, and what instrument do you play?

A: I have been in marching band for four years and I play the alto saxophone. If you don’t know what that is, it is the thing with a lot of buttons. Fun fact: My sister plays alto saxophone too and we have been marching together in the same section for two years.

Q: Is there a reason you chose to take marching band for four years?

A: It is a time big commitment. For about four months, your life is consumed with marching band. What makes it worth it is being able to show what you have worked so tirelessly on to others who share the same goal as you: to give the best performance possible.

Q: What instrument do you think is the objectively the best?

A: This is a controversial question! I’m biased, but the saxophone is the best instrument.

Q: What is your favorite pep tune?

A: Hands down, my favorite stand tune is Land of 1000 dances. It is a band favorite, and everyone has the best time playing the tune.

Q: What would you say your biggest achievement(s) in marching band was? What did you enjoy the most?

A: My biggest achievement is being able to improve enough to contribute to my band becoming a Bands of America finalist band; it is no easy feat.

Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in joining marching band or even simply learning an instrument for the first time?

A: Being in marching band is not only a physical game, but a mental game as well. The beginning of the band motto is “perfection above us.” There is always something that can be improved. In order to be successful, you have to constantly strive for improvement each and every time you step on that field.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about nursing/what are you most excited about for your future in that career?

A: I have always seen myself eventually being a part of the healthcare field, I just haven’t decided what. My healthcare education started my sophomore year with Healthcare Science, and eventually led to the CNA program. I was inspired by family members who worked in the healthcare field, as well as amazing teachers that urged me to pursue this  career field. The Collierville CNA program gives me the perfect ability for me to observe all different types of healthcare fields, while being able to provide actual care for others. My favorite thing is the camaraderie between the nursing students. Every morning at 7:30, we learn something new about how to better help the people we interact with. I would say that we all get along with each other really well. We are all different: we have nurses in cheer, basketball, band, track, BETA, HOSA, Mu Alpha Theta, FMP, etc. Think of a student organization or hobby, a nurse in this program is most likely in that club. My point is that us nurses are all so unique in what defines us and what we enjoy, but we all share one common experience: the CNA program. It’s nice to be able to follow a goal that not just you want to achieve, but others around you want to achieve as well.

Q: What would you say is your best achievement in the CHS nursing program?

A: My biggest achievement is me being able to utilize the skills we have learned in the classroom and successfully use them in real life. It is nice to have that assurance that what I am learning in the classroom can and will help someone who needs medical attention.

Q: What is the most fun/cool/weird thing you’ve learned or seen while in nursing?

A: The weirdest thing I have ever heard in nursing was one nurse asking, “can you drink IV fluids?” The answer to that question would be no. I would not recommend that.

Q: What would you say to someone looking to start the nursing classes?

A: I would say to trust the process. When I started the program as a young, spry CNA 1, I would look at the seniors and think, “I could never do what they are doing.” I felt SO inadequate for the program. Fast forward, I can now do skills in the lab and confidently take benchmark tests for the program. You learn so much in such a short amount of time, mostly due to our AWESOME instructors, Nurse Nevels and Nurse Jackson. I will warn you, many people will not understand just how much hard work the nursing program takes, but I assure you, if you put in the effort to learn, you will gain a unique experience that will prepare you for a career.

Q: If you could be anything in the future, regardless of qualifications, what would it be? There is one catch: it can’t have anything to do with the medical field.

A: I would be a ballerina, no joke, I am one of those people who watches ballet videos. I really wish my parents would have put me in ballet classes when I was younger.