World equestrian champ makes jump to nursing

Mark Lundey — 5/10/2008 7:28 am

When Tara Streff puts her mind to something, there's no doing it halfway.

A world equestrian champion by age 17, Streff has applied that same drive, discipline, determination and passion to her career in nursing.

One might think Streff, after spending years with horses, would have chosen to become a veterinarian after graduating from Monroe High School in 2002. But she knew in her heart that she wanted to help people.

"After seeing the birth of a horse, I've always been able to tolerate the blood and guts and all,'' said Streff, 24, a medical oncology nurse at St. Mary's Hospital. "I wanted the interaction with people. I couldn't get that with animals.''

She fell in love with horses at a young age.

When she was 10, Streff took a class called "Horses, You Gotta Love 'Em.'' She was hooked. She started bugging her parents for her own horse. By age 12, she got her first horse, a quarter horse named Minnie.

"All I wanted to do was to be able to show,'' she said. "I just wanted a blue ribbon.''

Streff started slowly, showing in small open quarter horse shows around the area. "I was terrible in my first try at jumping,'' Streff recalled. "But I loved it!''

She started taking lessons from a trainer based in Missouri and switched solely to jumping. Her father bought a motor home so the family could travel to shows. By her high school years she began to really get involved with jumping.

She got her first taste of international competition at age 15. By the next year (2000) Streff was Reserve (second place) World Champion in her jumping class (Equestrian Over Fences) at the American Quarter Horse Youth Association world championships in Fort Worth, Texas. The next year she was world champion in her jumping class (Hunter Hack) at the AQHYA. The Fort Worth event attracts over 2,000 entries from around the world. Later in 2001, she also won a championship at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio.

As reigning champion, Streff already qualified for the 2002 world championships, but decided not to pursue it. There's a serious time commitment involved for both the competitor and family in acquiring the level of expertise to compete at such a high level, and Streff had had enough.

"Ultimately my dream was to win the world. And I did,'' she said. "I just wanted to be a regular high school senior, hang out with my friends on weekends, go to dances.''

And she was ready for her next challenge. While attending nursing school at Edgewood College, Streff landed a job at the Veterans Administration hospital. "Once I started working there I knew that was the job for me.''

Streff graduated from Edgewood in 2007 and has worked at St. Mary's for the past year, first on a cardiac unit before transferring to the hospital's new oncology unit.

What does she like best about being a nurse?

"I like knowing I made a difference,'' Streff said.

One patient in particular comes to mind. Streff said the patient "just broke down. She was very upset.''

So Streff's passion for helping people took over. She took the time to listen. She was someone's shoulder to cry on.

She felt an incredible sense of gratification.

"That's why I'm a nurse.''

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National Nurses Week runs through May 12. www.nursingworld.org/

Mark Lundey — 5/10/2008 7:28 am