Graduating couple reels in nursing degrees while sharing a love for fishing, hockey, and the Lord

Through their love for the people of Alaska, Liberty University graduates Sam and Anna Carlson, a married couple who both earned nursing degrees, will look to share the hope of Christ, while cherishing all of the blessings they received from their alma mater.

“I’m so grateful we got to get our nursing degrees at a Christian university where a biblical worldview and teaching was taught … and to make lifelong friends who love the Lord that we have so many memories with,” Anna Carlson said.

The couple attended the School of Nursing degree presentation ceremony at Williams Stadium Tuesday night.

After growing up in Alaska, Sam Carlson met his future wife when his family moved to her hometown in Bemidji, Minn., during high school. The two kept in touch and started dating during their first year of college when Anna attended Azusa Pacific in southern California and Sam was playing forward on the Flames’ Division I men’s hockey team.

The next year, Anna transferred to Liberty and joined her boyfriend as a nursing major.

“I was able to arrive and then through taking summer courses, I eventually caught up with Sam in the nursing program,” she said.

Due to his courseload and clinical training, Sam Carlson stepped away from hockey following his sophomore season to devote more of his time to school and his soon-to-be bride.

The couple married in early 2019 and spent the summer working side by side on their commercial fishing boat, the same job that Sam had worked the prior two summers during college. Due to the consistent spawning pattern of salmon in Alaska, which is from June into September, the job was ideal for two college students.

“It definitely can be a stressful job at times,” Sam Carlson said. “It was a big learning curve for the both of us, but honestly Anna does just as much of the work as I do because it is a two-person job. It’s been a lot of fun, though, to be able to work for ourselves and the timing is great while in college.”

While on the water or when doing rigorous class assignments together, the couple said they have been blessed to work as best friends but have also cherished the opportunity to learn valuable lessons for their marriage.

“I would say both fishing and nursing have helped us as a married couple,” Anna Carlson said. “Doing assignments and having the stresses of both of these things has helped us in our marriage and have grown us a lot for sure.”

“This past summer was really great because we got to see how much more comfortable we were on the boat the second summer at it together,” Sam Carlson added. “Our communication was better, we fished better, and even caught more fish.”

This year, the Carlsons also got to share in the student-athlete experience together at Liberty: Sam returned to play for the Flames’ DI men’s hockey team this past season and Anna tried her hand on the Lady Flames’ DII hockey team. Although the season began with excitement, the husband-and-wife duo’s patience was tested as they both suffered injuries later in the season; when Anna broke her arm on the ice and Sam collided with a teammate during practice, severing a tendon in his foot.

The couple will be saying their goodbyes to Lynchburg soon and heading back to Alaska where they will look to continue their fishing business while seeking opportunities to practice nursing.

“We definitely want to incorporate both,” Anna Carlson said. “There is a lot of need and hurt in those Alaskan communities because they are small and they are so rural. With Sam’s background and knowledge of growing up there and some of the ways of life there, it does provide a means for us to connect.”

The couple agreed that they will always remain grateful for how their time at Liberty was a critical preparation ground for wherever the Lord leads them in the future.

“There’s something special about the people at Liberty University, and to be able to get an education with fellow nursing students while also playing a sport was such an amazing opportunity,” Sam Carlson said.