Dashanna K. McNeil Memorial Scholarship

Ever since I was a little girl I've always wanted to be in the healthcare field. It's something about helping sick people heal that does something to my heart. As a young girl, I watched my grandmother and mother, who both were nurses, care for sick people as well as take the time to make sure they was ok. My grandma and mother cared for the sick like they was family and in return it taught me a great deal about helping those who couldn't help themselves. Every since then I have had my mind on pursuing becoming a nurse to be the examples my grandmother and mother not just taught me but also showed me. With my nursing degree the plan is to give back to the community by making sure those that are sick are being cared for by people like myself who has that heart of gold to help the sick and shut in. I plan to work in a local hospital and churches to see if there is any needs that I can do like doing health checks, making sure resources are known and available to those that need them, making basic needs bags for the homeless and working with charities to make sure people needs are being met in whatever way. Once I have obtained my nursing degree, I plan to continue to further my career by getting my Bachelors in Nursing then Masters in Nursing as well as finish with getting my Nurse Practitioner license. Maybe afterward I could see myself opening up my own clinic to help those who can not afford health insurance or being turned away due to some fault in our system. I have been at Duke for almost 14 years as a NCA/HUC and everyday I see the daily struggles of those who are in so much need for support whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual. My nursing degree will be definitely be put to good use and an example of what helping others out mean to me and making not only my mother proud but my grandmother as well who has passed on. I have been in the nursing field for almost 24 years and I love ever day that I get to wake up and go to work and help those who are in need of a hug or a listening ear or someone who wants to be told that they are loved and not alone or just being that support when family is not around or have given up hope on their loved one. Becoming a nurse has been my dream for almost 30+ years and now that I'm actually getting that chance, I couldn't be more excited. And I'm ready to take whatever steps to achieve my dream.

My name is Rebecca Dunn, and I am a twenty-three-year-old from Atlanta Georgia who is currently pursuing a doctorate in nurse anesthesia at the University of South Carolina.  I come from a family who values personal integrity, honesty and compassion above all else. I grew up in a small church in Sandy Springs, and every summer I looked forward to mission trips to various communities around the United States. The insurmountable joy that I received from giving back to those less fortunate led me to discover my passion for nursing. I yearned to be the one thing that made patients smile in what could be the most difficult time of their lives.   My knowledge of nurse anesthesia was limited until one clinical day in nursing school where I was sent to the OR for a triple coronary artery bypass graft.  I was placed at the head of the bed with the nurse anesthetist and given a stool.  Picture a little nursing student in white scrubs standing on her tippy toes to just barely be able to peer over the plastic screen.  All the while the CRNA was explaining to me what he was doing to keep the patient stable, I was fascinated.  Then, as the surgeon was prepared to start the cardiopulmonary bypass machine, I was able to watch the heart stop in his hands.  It was the most surreal experience of my life and I began to cry.  Everything in nursing school seemed extraordinary, but this was something different.  I felt honored to be a part of such intelligence and expertise.  I was able to witness the human heart stop and a machine on the other side of the room continue to circulate the patient’s blood throughout his body.  What blew me away the most was the nurse anesthetist who was working what seemed like behind the scenes to keep the patient hemodynamically stable.  From that moment onward I set a goal to become a CRNA. For me a nurse anesthetist is the unsung hero of the OR; not only keeping patients hemodynamically stable during a procedure but meticulously monitoring in order to avoid adverse outcomes. I would like to accomplish many things with my advanced degree in nurse anesthesia. Short term goals post graduation are to accept a job offer at a level one trauma center where I can become a well rounded and experienced CRNA. A long term goal, and potentially the most important goal to me, is to join an organization such as Heart Care International. This organization provides live saving cardiac surgeries to children in developing countries. Mission work is where I discovered my love for serving others, and it would give me joy to be able to give back while practicing my dream job.

I want to become a nurse because I love helping because without a hesitation, I really wanted to become a nursing midwife because anything and everything about pregnancy interest me I love to learn about it!

Nurses are not pill pushes but extended families. I currently work as a LPN and going back to school for my RN. I enjoy being a nurse and want to further my education so I can continue helping my residents and help teach the new nurses coming into the facility. Before entering into the nursing field I saw nurses as pill pushers. Needless to say when I became a nurse, it changed my mind. I am a hand to hold of a dying resident, a shoulder to cry on for a despaired resident, and an ear to listen for an upset resident. I strive daily at work to help my residents, to make them comfortable and happy with where they are in life. Especially with the current Covid pandemic, I became very close with the residents as they were unable to see family. In one circumstance, that will forever stay in my heart, was a resident that had declined and was actively dying. Our activities staff was unable to sit with the resident to have a virtual conference call with the family and administration was not allowing families to come in at that point of the pandemic. I finished passing my medication and documentation so I asked if I can have the IPad to FaceTime the family. They gave me a time limit of 30 minutes but I stayed on for an hour and a half. I pestered with his family and listened to music. Talked with his wife and learned a great deal of information that I didn’t know before. As the time ended with the call, his wife said her goodbyes. I stayed with my resident so he can listen to his favorite song. He passed away as the song ended. I called his wife immediately and told her the news. She was heartbroken but happy because she knew I was there and considered me family. I want to continue doing this for families and residents as they deserve to have someone with them in the time of need. Not only does the actively dying resident need someone next to him/her but the family needs someone too. I want to continue with my associates and work towards my bachelors and masters so I can teach people coming into the nursing field the holistic measures of treating patients and families. This encourages me and strives for me to continue what I do for a living. My children sees me as a nurse but always are upset when I can not make it to a holiday or a special function. I always tell them “my second family needs me today and are unable to make adjustments to their lives whereas I can”.

I am a graduating student from Destrehan High School. I am pursuing my education and my career in Nursing at Dillard University in New Orleans Louisiana. I am very excited to be a nurse and hold the powerful title and be able to help any and everyone that needs help. I want to become a nurse for several reasons. I have always been very passionate about helping people in need. I always tend to care for others before I care for myself and I would like to continue to do so. I don't even look at being a nurse as a job. I mainly look at it as a career that I am very passionate about and something that I know I would be really good at it. The first moment that I knew I wanted to become someone that worked in the medical profession is when I helped my sick autistic brother, Terrance Jr, or TJ stay awake while being rushed to the hospital. He was 18 at the time and was never able to care for himself his entire life. My mother was his main caretaker and I would help when needed. When August 28, 2012, came it all happened very fast. We left home in a hurry, my mother was driving and I was in the backseat with my brother. The entire ride to the hospital I never once thought about anything but my brother or you could say my patient. I kept him awake and stable until I handed him off to the ER nurses at the hospital. It was the very last thing that I was able to do for my brother since he was taken off of life support the next day as he passed away from a ruptured stomach. I will never forget being able to keep him awake which is why I am so passionate about helping everyone. The specific area of nursing that I would like to pursue is Labor and Delivery. I'm going to help mothers bring newborns into this world and help them take care of their babies while they are under my care. I am passionate about this specific area because I’ve heard and seen that delivering a baby can be a very hard process and if I can make any mothers' experience better in any way possible I definitely will. I will also assist them in the first few hours or days of caring for the mother and newborn.