On September 1, 2001, Lori Gargiso laid her husband to rest. A probationary firefighter for the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), Michael John Gorumba died in the line of duty, suffering a heart attack while battling a blaze at a Staten Island autobody shop.
“Our son, Andrew, was two years old, and I was pregnant with our second child,” says Lori, who was born in Brooklyn and raised on Staten Island. “Michael’s sister was getting married on September 16th, and he was supposed to walk her down the aisle because their father passed away.” And then, another unfathomable tragedy struck: the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the death of many firefighters who had just honored her husband’s life.
Lori grappled with her incomprehensible grief without the support of her mother, who had been diagnosed with Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) the year prior. “My mom was my best friend, but she was unable to move or talk by then,” says Lori, who had paused her pre-med studies at Wagner College to help care for her. “I don’t know how I got through that time, but I knew I had to be strong for my kids.” One glimmer of good: New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who attended her husband’s funeral, took Michael’s place to walk his sister down the aisle on her wedding day.
Life Moving Forward, Dreams in the Distance
For the next several years, Lori focused on raising her two sons-her second, Michael, Jr., was born in March 2002. She supported New York politicians in their efforts to pass legislation that spouses or dependents of firefighters and police officers killed on 9/11/2021 would receive full-salary pensions thereafter. But as her boys grew up, Lori started thinking about her future and theirs—and the dream she had set aside years before.
“I knew I wanted to be a nurse when I was young, and I even did a nursing assistant program before going to college,” says Lori. “I always wanted to go back to school, but my kids were young and online learning wasn’t as available then.” In 2006, Lori remarried, and the following year, she and her husband welcomed a son, Christian. “When he turned three, I decided to finally return to the classroom.” Lori enrolled at the College of Staten Island—where she had taken courses a decade earlier—ready to pursue her long-held ambition of becoming a nurse.
A New Chapter Begins
In 2013, Lori graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from the College of Staten Island and became a Registered Nurse. She started her nursing career in home health, handling fragile pediatric cases. From there, Lori worked in case management for several years, moving to the case management team at Richmond University Medical Center following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
To broaden her clinical exposure, Lori also worked per diem in a variety of settings, including fragile pediatric care, home-based wound care, patient education, and general in-home nursing support. When she was promoted to clinical nurse manager of the oncology/medical-surgical unit at Richmond University Medical in 2022, a role that included managing the ambulatory infusion center, the opportunity came with the request that Lori start a bachelor’s degree within two years.
Finding Post University’s American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Twice before, Lori had attempted to start an online Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, but life got in the way. “I never thought I’d be interested in management, but the chance to do that came up, and I needed to get the BSN for my career,” she says. Her research for a convenient online program led her to Post University’s American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which she could pursue via the competency-based SIMPath® format.
“This BSN program seemed perfect for me, and I really liked that they encourage students to apply what they are learning to their actual jobs and incorporate their other professional experience,” Lori says. She started the BSN program at American Sentinel in November 2024 and will complete it in November 2025. “I like Post a lot. I feel like the University is flexible, and although the program isn’t easy, it is doable.”
Goals for the Future
Earlier this year, Lori started a new job as a nurse manager in the spinal injury unit of Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. One of the top rehabilitation hospitals in the country, Kessler is known for treating Christopher Reeves after his equestrian accident in 1995. “It’s a great opportunity, and I’m really enjoying it,” she says. “It took me back to my first job working in a skilled nursing facility, which is also a health-centered environment where the focus is on patient progress and improving quality of life.”
Long term, Lori’s goal is to get a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and pursue leadership—perhaps a chief nursing officer or director position. She intends to return to Post University. “I like the look of the MSN in Nursing Leadership and Organizational Management Specialization/Master of Science in Business Administration, and I will probably start in the spring of 2026 once I feel more settled in this new job,” she says. “Post has the types of programs that fit people’s lives well, and everyone at the University is helpful and supportive. It was a great place for me the first time, so it’s an easy decision to go back there.”