PUC Honors Nursing Professor Nicolette Piaubert as 2025 Educator of the Year

Pacific Union College awarded Assistant Professor of Nursing and Student Success Coordinator Nicolette Piaubert the 2024-2025 Educator of the Year Award during Community on Thursday, May 22.

Surrounded by proud faculty members and inspired students, Piaubert wore a cape commemorating her years of service and her famous million-dollar smile.

Piaubert joined PUC as a family nurse practitioner in 2021, bringing a wealth of experience in the nursing field. Piaubert has always been deeply passionate about nursing, using the opportunity to serve others as a reflection of her love for God.

Dean of Nursing and Emergency Management Kimberly Dunker introduced Piaubert as a dedicated nurse, professor, Director of Pathfinders Club, and published author who is passionate about equipping future nurses with the knowledge and skills to thrive academically and professionally.

As Dunker spoke about the impressive educational background Piaubert holds, she also highlighted Piaubert’s dedication to being a partner in her students’ and community’s success.

“The PUC nursing faculty and staff are incredibly proud of Nicolette. She exemplifies the spirit of excellence that drives our program, inspiring both students and colleagues to strive for greatness in healthcare," Dunker said.

Piaubert teaches the Introduction to Nursing classes at PUC, exposing students to the nursing profession before beginning the nursing program. Students take more of Piaubert’s classes as they progress in different parts of their nursing careers at PUC.

“My mission as an educator is to create a space where students feel loved, seen, safe, and supported—because when they believe they can succeed, they do,” Piaubert expressed.

In 2011, she founded the Gab-Nic Excelsior Nursing Tutoring Center to help struggling students attain nursing degrees by implementing creative educational tools and faith-based instruction. Two years later, Piaubert founded The Talented Tenth Highlanders Summer Camp with the goal to help shape and serve members of the youth in underprivileged communities. Both organizations are based in Brooklyn, New York.

Piaubert is not only a successful nurse and educator but also a published author of Becoming, a poetry collection using hardship as an opportunity for progression, and How To Beat a Rigged School System: 13 Steps to 100%, a self-help book about achieving success despite unfair educational school systems. In December 2024, she published The Light We Are, a 365-day devotional written to uplift and inspire college students. The first two books are available at Barnes & Noble, and the most recent publication is available on Amazon.

She holds a compassionate attitude inside and outside of the classroom, inspiring students to find who they are in God, ”so they can empty themselves of the fear, shame, and negativity that hinders their learning, and step into the fullness of who they are called to be.” Piaubert believes that nurturing the spirit alongside the mind is when transformation happens.

“This recognition is a testament to her unwavering dedication, outstanding teaching abilities, and profound impact on our nursing students,” Dunker proclaimed.

With proud testimonies from colleagues, former and current students, and members of the Pathfinder Club, Piaubert expressed a deep sense of appreciation for the merit of her achievements.

“I’m grateful for this recognition and even more grateful for the students and colleagues who make the work meaningful every single day.”