Dr. Tien Vo Healthcare Hope Scholarship

My journey into healthcare has been deeply personal, shaped by loss, resilience, and a profound desire to help others in their most vulnerable moments. At 19, I lost my father to cancer. He spent much of his final months at Stanford Hospital, where I witnessed firsthand the impact that skilled, compassionate nurses can have—not just on the patient, but on the entire family. Amid fear and uncertainty, those nurses provided comfort, dignity, and care that left a lasting impression on me. Even in my grief, I knew I wanted to become one of them—to be a source of strength and support for others during life’s hardest chapters. As the eldest child of refugee immigrants, my father’s passing meant more than emotional loss—it meant stepping into a caretaker role for my 4-year-old brother and helping my mother keep our family afloat. College had to wait. I began working as a medical assistant, which allowed me to earn a living while staying connected to the medical field. Over the next ten years, I gained invaluable clinical experience and a deeper understanding of the kind of care I aspired to provide. Still, I knew I wanted to go further—to become a nurse and eventually a nurse practitioner, serving as both a healer and an advocate for patients like my father. After a decade away from school, I made the decision to return and pursue my degree—a leap of faith fueled by purpose and determination. Just as I started this new chapter, life threw another challenge our way: my fiancé was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Juggling coursework, caregiving, and part-time work was exhausting—both emotionally and financially. There were times we didn’t know how we’d pay rent or afford treatment-related expenses. But I remained committed, knowing this was bigger than me. Supporting him through recovery only deepened my passion for healthcare and reaffirmed why I chose this path. This spring, I will graduate with an associate degree in Liberal Arts and Health Science—a milestone that makes me the first in my family to graduate from college. It represents not only academic achievement, but also the perseverance of my parents, who came to this country as refugees so their children could have a better life. I plan to continue my education by pursuing a nursing degree and, ultimately, becoming a nurse practitioner. My goal is to serve diverse, underserved communities—those like my own—who too often fall through the cracks of our healthcare system. Receiving this scholarship would ease the financial burden as I take the next steps toward becoming the provider I once needed. More than just a career, nursing is my calling—and I am committed to using my voice, my story, and my care to make a difference.