Professor Continues a Family Legacy of Learning and Teaching at CCM
Title: Professor
Department: Nursing
“I really enjoyed my time at CCM and the nursing program has such a great reputation. It’s exciting to be back and to be able to give back to a school I owe so much to. I’m able to have on impact on students like the CCM nursing faculty had on me.”
Natasha Agnihotri didn’t plan on following in her father’s footsteps to become a nurse and teach at County College of Morris (CCM). But when she attended CCM – as had her father, mother and brother – to round out her bachelor’s degree in public health, she discovered she really enjoyed working directly with people to improve their health.
Unsure what area of public health she wanted to focus on, Agnihotri enrolled in the Nursing Program at CCM at the suggestion of her father. It was then that she discovered her passion.
“In an area like public health, it can take a while to see the fruits of your labor,” notes Agnihotri. “While at CCM, I realized I wanted a more hands-on experience, so I decided to become a nurse. As a nurse, you get to see the direct impact you have on people.”
Then as she began working as a nurse educator at the hospital where she was employed, Agnihotri found she really enjoyed teaching the next generation of nurses. It’s also what her father, Dr. Vivek Agnihotri has been doing at CCM as a member of the nursing faculty for nearly 20 years.
“I realized I really enjoyed teaching new nurses and sharing my knowledge and experience. To have that kind of impact is really rewarding and I wanted to make that my career,” she says.
Her next steps were to earn a master’s degree in nursing education and then to start teaching as an adjunct professor first at William Paterson University and then at CCM to build a resume. She was offered a full-time nursing faculty position at CCM in 2021.
“I really enjoyed my time at CCM and the nursing program has such a great reputation,” says Agnihotri. “It’s exciting to be back and to be able to give back to a school I owe so much to. I’m able to have an impact on students like the CCM nursing faculty had on me.”