By Carlos E. Medina
Raquel Steiert is used to shouldering a heavy load. As a member of the University of Florida’s Gator Marching Band, she hefts a 30-pound tuba across the field in blazing Florida heat. As a student in the College of Nursing, she carries a full load of classes at one of the nation’s most demanding undergraduate programs.
Steiert, 20, a graduate of Seminole Ridge High School, began her musical journey reluctantly at age 11. Her parents signed her up for band in sixth grade, insisting it would help her academically. She remembered resisting at first.
“I really didn’t want to do it,” she said, “but they said it would be good for me.”
She initially gravitated toward the clarinet but ended up volunteering for the tuba because her class had only one other student willing to play.
“I wanted to help him out,” she said. “And now here I am.”
Over the years, Steiert’s tuba became more than just an instrument. She started on a smaller beginner’s tuba, progressed to a larger model in middle school, and by high school was marching in parades and football games. “The first few days were scary,” she recalled. “Reading music was like learning a new language. But once I got the hang of it, it was really fun.”
At UF, Steiert divides her time between rigorous nursing courses and attending marching band rehearsals, which she participates in multiple days a week for several hours each day — not to mention the stress of performing and sometimes traveling during game weekends. Practices under the hot sun leave her exhausted, yet she thrives on the camaraderie of her tuba section, about 30 in total, and the thrill of performing in front of packed stadiums.
“I adore my section mates. They really make this experience what it is,” she said.
Steiert credits band with teaching her lessons she now applies in nursing school: teamwork, time management and perseverance.
“Band taught me responsibility outside of class and how to work in a team,” she said. “Those skills carry over directly to working with my cohort and completing lab assignments.”
Her path to nursing was less direct. Originally dreaming of veterinary medicine, she considered becoming a doctor in high school. But it was an oft-told story by her mother and the care, or lack thereof, she received during childbirth, that inspired Steiert to pursue nursing. “I realized I could be the kind of nurse who makes a difference, especially for mothers like mine,” she said.
While she has fallen during rehearsals, struggled with long exam weeks and endured Florida’s summer heat, her commitment never wavers.
“Balancing nursing school and band can be challenging,” she said, “but it is doable. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Looking ahead, Steiert hopes to continue music after graduation through community bands, transitioning from the high-intensity, marching-style performances to concert ensembles.
“Marching in the stadium is unlike anything else,” she said. “There’s no other feeling that comes close.”
For Steiert, the lessons of marching band — discipline, resilience and teamwork — resonate far beyond the field, shaping her both as a musician and a future nurse.
