Graduate Spotlight: Zoe Adler

If you know nothing else about Zoe Adler, know this: She isn’t afraid to push her limits. Lifting weights, running long distances, balancing a full academic schedule with ROTC leadership positions and excelling at it all.

“I’ve always been someone who wants to see what my boundaries are, to try to challenge myself,” says Adler, who will graduate with a nursing degree while also having risen to the highest levels of SU’s Army ROTC. “I’m a competitive person and ROTC puts you through stuff that makes you think, ‘Wow, I didn’t know I was capable of that.’”

While Adler may have surprised herself along the way, the road seemed to be leading to a place of care and leadership from the start. A native of Long Beach, Calif., Adler wanted to be a firefighter from an early age, then pivoted to both firefighter and paramedic. In high school, she watched a 60 Minutes documentary about Navy nurses doing humanitarian work and a spark was lit. Getting advice from the wife of one of her teachers—who also happened to be a nurse—solidified her passion.

“The idea of caring for people just aligned with what I wanted to do,” she says. “My parents always knew I would do some kind of job, but with a twist. So, when I said I wanted to be an Army nurse, it wasn’t a surprise to them.”

In looking for a university, Adler wanted a place with ample outdoor activities, preferably on the West Coast, and with a strong nursing program. Add in a good scholarship offer from Army ROTC and the road led right to Capitol Hill.

Adler expected a boot camp-like four-year experience, but what she found was the complete opposite—smiling, encouraging, welcoming faces setting a tone that she would carry into her upper class years.

“Right away ROTC accepted me into the family,” Adler says. “I felt like I had a home away from home.”

Key to Adler’s adjustment to ROTC was the mentorship provided by Anneliese Cowles, who went on to lead the Brady Batallion and graduated with a nursing degree in 2025. Cowles was like a big sister to Adler and so it’s no surprise that she closely followed in her mentor’s footsteps, serving as Brady Battalion Commander as well as operations manager, Ranger Challenge Team Captain and a go-to mentor for young cadets.

Adler was also involved SU’s The MOSAIC Center as a community ambassador to help transfer, commuter, veteran and military students feel welcome and included on campus.

“Trying to help build the next generation is important to me,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to be helpful and directly impact people. I want to serve others. Seattle University, especially nursing school, has taught me to look at people as a whole person and provide care and support not just by checking blood pressure but also being aware of mental impacts, family impacts, social impacts. That’s something I’ll carry with me into the future.”

The future includes Adler being commissioned as an Army nurse focusing on critical care, with a long-term goal of becoming a pediatric nurse. It’s a challenging road ahead but one Adler says she’s excited about.

“There have been moments when I’m doing something physically challenging and you think you can’t do it, but you can at least take one more step,” she says. “And you take the step and you think I did one step, I can do another. And eventually, you’re at the finish line. That’s the attitude I’ve approached my time here with and what I’ve tried to encourage in others. Just keep working toward your goals and you’ll get there.”