Pretti leaves legacy as a caring mentor and preceptor

The Jan. 24 shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, by Customs and Border Protection agents involved in Operation Metro Surge triggered widespread protests and calls for increased oversight of federal immigration task forces operating in the Twin Cities.

“The nursing community in Minnesota, around the country and around the world profoundly feels Alex’s loss,” says Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, dean of the School of Nursing. “Alex showed us how caring for others often extends beyond clinical walls, and that it may require advocating for those who are vulnerable and without voice. It is nurses who are often called to step up and lead when systemic failures bring overdue attention to inequalities. Alex answered that call with his spirit and his life and we now look to do our part to carry forth his legacy.”

As a nurse at the VA, Pretti also served as a preceptor to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students at the University of Minnesota. 

“Alex worked closely with some of the students I taught in the BSN program. He was highly regarded by the students who worked with him, particularly for his ability to gently coach them out of their comfort zone while encouraging them to try new skills with him close by,” says Clinical Associate Professor Mary DeGrote Goering, PhD, RN-BC, CNE.

Ben Matson, BSN, RN, who graduated in 2025, says the lessons Pretti taught him made him a better nurse.

“I was Alex’s nursing student for six months last year in the ICU at the VA. He wasn’t just my mentor, but a friend who cared deeply about the veterans he served and the community around him,” says Matson. “He taught me what it means to care for our neighbors when they were at the most vulnerable point of their lives.”

Alex Pretti Nursing Scholarship established 

In response to outreach from those wishing to honor Pretti, and with the consent of the Pretti family, the University of Minnesota School of Nursing established the Alex Pretti Nursing Scholarship. 

The Alex Pretti Nursing Scholarship is designed specifically to support students who are dedicated to veterans’ care, ensuring that Pretti’s commitment to those who served our country continues through the nurses of tomorrow. By providing financial assistance to students who share his passion for this field, the scholarship aims to carry forward his spirit of advocacy and leadership.

More information on the Alex Pretti Nursing Scholarship can be found at z.umn.edu/AlexPretti