Graduate Spotlight: Kayla Vargas, BSN
BH WELL celebrates Kayla Vargas, BSN, who is graduating from the UK College of Nursing with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing on December 19th, 2025. Kayla has been a part of the BH WELL team as an undergraduate nursing research intern during her time at UK.
Kayla shares, “BH WELL has afforded me the opportunity to be part of a team that is making great strides in mental and behavioral health wellness. I have been able to see the change this team’s work has in the community.” Kayla recalls that when she first heard about BH WELL, it was described to her in two parts: a program that does research and that also translates research into palatable information and materials. Hearing the latter mission, she was eager to join the team.
“The BH WELL leadership has come alongside me and allowed me to work on various projects I am passionate about. As a student, many research teams would tell you exactly what to work on. While that’s true sometimes at BH WELL, I also get a lot of freedom to work on things I am passionate about,” says Kayla.
While with BH WELL, Kayla wrote blogs and evaluated a series of mental and behavioral health educational flyers. Her blogs cover topics including Parasocial Relationships, Breastfeeding, and Being a First Generation Student.
BH WELL Executive Director, Dr. Zim Okoli, shares, “Having undergraduate nursing research interns at BH WELL is so crucial for mentoring our next generation of nurse scientists and clinicians and ensuring the relevance of our work in the nursing workforce. Kayla has been an incredible research intern. Her heartfelt blogs and enthusiastic engagement in all the work we do at BH WELL demonstrate her developing clinical, educational, and research expertise. We will sorely miss her as she graduates but are extremely proud of her achievements and look forward to the incredible impact she will make in the lives of patients, their families, and communities.”
Kayla chose to study nursing because she wants to be a trustworthy and reliable presence for people facing hardship. While at UK, she has developed a passion for education and outreach. She has found that healthcare doesn’t start in crisis, but rather in the day to day. She seeks to educate individuals in this concept and equip them with resources to live a healthy lifestyle every day. Creating blogs at BH WELL provided Kayla the opportunity to begin educating the public about health in a creative way.
Upon graduation, Kayla plans to attend a Christian ministry training in Anaheim, California. She plans to return to nursing after her 2-year training.
BH WELL thanks Kayla for her contributions to our work. Congratulations, Kayla!