Where are they now? Nursing alumna helps fellow soldiers with mental health

Cristina McCray Lukas has lived all over the world due to her parents serving in the United States Army but ultimately calls Georgia home.

Her mother served 13 years between active duty and in the Reserves and her father served 25 years as an Army Combat Engineer. Lukas always knew she was going to follow in their military footsteps.

“I’m proud of my parents and how they led by example which laid the foundation for the type of leader I strive to be: an advocate, genuine and looking to create positive change,” said Lukas, who attended Augusta University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of Nursing in 2018 before commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Army.

Forging her career path

Lukas cherished her time with CON, noting the professors were nice, supportive and understanding of simultaneous involvement in ROTC.

She stayed active as a student, serving as a representative for CON Student Government Student Affairs, was a member of AU’s Pre-Nursing Society as club founder and secretary, a Summer Scholars Undergraduate Researcher and club volleyball captain.

“Immersing myself in various activities allowed me to explore new passions, uncover my purpose and become part of a supportive community of people I can truly rely on,” she said.

She knew in high school she wanted to be a nurse. A woman the family treated as family attended the same church. She shared stories about her nursing career during World War II and volunteered at a hospital into her 90s. Lukas told herself, “I want a job that brings me purpose, joy and passion just like her.”  

As Lukas began focusing on her collegiate studies, she knew a career focused on mental health was her calling.

“I realized my patients would come to me with a wound, but it was the ones you couldn’t see that didn’t heal,” she said. “Physical wounds are the easiest to find, but the mental ones are the hardest to spot. That made me want to advocate and educate service members and their families about mental health and reduce the stigma.”

Creating a lasting relationship

By happenstance, Lukas learned about the Col. Vera Nolfe Anderson Army Nursing Scholarship Endowment, which was established in memory and honor of Anderson by her husband, field artillery officer Andy Anderson.

Vera Anderson was an Army Nurse for 24 years and former chief nurse of Eisenhower Army Medical Center at then-Fort Gordon, where she was stationed from 1982-1984. The Andersons married after Vera retired and lived in Florida for a decade before coming back to Augusta.

“We really enjoyed the area and the climate, and we had a lot of friends that lived here still, so we moved back in 1997,” Andy Anderson said.

Anderson said his wife died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. A friend encouraged him to start a scholarship and went to Fort Gordon to see what could be done. They, in turn, referred him to AU.

He met CON’s then-associate dean Lori Schumacher in 2007, shortly after his wife passed away. Schumacher helped Anderson establish the scholarship in 2008. Anderson said he has received contributions from 30 states for the scholarship.

The scholarship is designed to be awarded to a student who wants to be an Army nurse, either currently in the Army Nurse Corps or striving to be in the Army Nurse Corps after program completion.

Lukas received the scholarship in 2017. She acknowledges that it helped her fulfill her career path by providing relief in the short term so she could focus on her studies and fuel her long-term goals by motivating her even more to be a role model and pay that kindness forward.

“Words can’t describe how thankful I am to him,” Lukas said. “It’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. It wasn’t just an opportunity to focus on my education; it was the notion that someone believes in me and saw my potential.”

Serving her country

Lukas started her Army nursing career as a second lieutenant medical surgical nurse at Fort Belvoir in Virginia before she specialized in behavioral health at Camp Humphreys in South Korea during her time at the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit at Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital.

During her assignment in South Korea, the DAISY Foundation awarded Lukas the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in 2022 for providing extraordinary compassionate care as a psych nurse. The foundation is designed to express gratitude to nurses with programs that recognize them for the extraordinary compassionate, skillful care they provide patients and families. By honoring compassionate nurses, DAISY reinforces the importance of compassion in health care.

“In South Korea, I used to go on the Armed Forces Network Radio to do a mental health segment called ‘Mental Health Mondays’ to spread awareness and educate on various behavioral health topics and resources,” Lukas said. “When I moved to Germany, I decided to keep things going and started up the ‘Mind Matters Mental Health Segment’ on AFN Europe, which broadcasts to 70,000 service members, dependents, contractors and German nationals.”

She is currently stationed in Germany where she dedicates most of her time to mental health awareness. She is the first and only psychiatric registered nurse embedded in the Combat Operational Stress Control unit that provides behavioral health services and support throughout Europe and Africa.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue doing what I love while discovering unique ways to raise awareness,” Lukas said. “It’s fulfilling to feel like a vital piece of the puzzle, making a difference as a nurse, officer and leader.”

Staying connected

Anderson finds it important to stay in touch with as many of the recipients as possible. He acknowledges it has become harder because of their different assignments, but he’s grateful for the interactions he’s had with Lukas and finds it fulfilling that people like her are succeeding in their service.

“My wife just loved the Army Nurse Corps, and she would love to be able to help students become Army nurses through this scholarship, and it just makes me feel really good,” Anderson said. “They’re really motivated because being in the military is not the easiest job in the world. There’s a lot of stress, but it’s very fulfilling to see them enjoying their job and helping other people.”

Lukas is always willing to share her experiences. She said she is forever grateful to the Andersons for selecting her, as well as for sharing stories about the impact Col. Anderson had in the Army Nurse Corps.

“I even had people reach out to me to share their experiences with her and their time in service. From all the stories that were shared with me, I learned that she positively impacted all those around her,” Lukas said. “That is the type of Army nurse I want to be – making a difference wherever I go. Therefore, I update him on how I am honoring her legacy and how I am forging my own path. Andy and Lori have a special place in my heart and are like family.”