When I graduated high school in 2016, I decided that healthcare was the path for me. Specifically nursing, which I almost finished all the prerequisites for before second guessing myself and stopping completely. I decided maybe phlebotomy was the way by dipping my toe in the water, which was a great experience up until I learned I was pregnant with my first baby at the same time COVID began shutting everything down. I decided it wasn’t worth the risk and wanted to stay home and have my baby. And then we had two more right after. Needless to say, I had many hospital stays throughout my time off from school, and one of the main reasons that birth wasn’t completely traumatizing was because of my nurses. They were so wonderful I could still cry about it. With that, my passion was sparked again and I decided when the time was right I would go back to school. So, last year I talked to many counselors and did my research of what I need to do to get here, and with the support and inspiration of my family, I spent all of my free time (outside of work and my kids) to take the last four classes I needed to apply to my college’s nursing program. I tried to be competitive and get the best grades I could to get in to my CEP BSN program. And I did it. The experience I’ve acquired to get here has solidified my interest in the nursing field. The most impactful position was my CNA externship, because it was the most eye opening to see how people live in their long term environment once they are deemed unable. As a CNA, you see the patient the most and can determine so many alterations in their demeanor/status, and I saw that in real time. My phlebotomy experience gave me a lot of insight on patient comfort ability, consent, and the lab/sterile side of the field. I’m excited to put the two together and get more in-depth knowledge about the things that actually interest me. As of now, I’d like to go into the ER or ICU to become confident in my abilities as a nurse in the most dire situation, but I’ve also always been drawn to Labor and Delivery or the NICU. All very different sides of the nursing dice, but that’s the beauty of it, really, to be able to do so much with one degree.

When I graduated high school in 2016, I decided that healthcare was the path for me. Specifically nursing, which I almost finished all the prerequisites for before second guessing myself and stopping completely. I decided maybe phlebotomy was the way by dipping my toe in the water, which was a great experience up until I learned I was pregnant with my first baby at the same time COVID began shutting everything down. I decided it wasn’t worth the risk and decided to stay home and have my baby. And then we had two more right after. Needless to say, I had many hospital stays throughout my time off from school, and one of the main reasons that birth wasn’t completely traumatizing was because of my nurses. They were so wonderful I could still cry about it. With that, my passion was sparked again and I decided when the time was right I would go back to school. So, last year I talked to many counselors and did my research of what I need to do to get here, and with the support of my family, I spent all of my free time (outside of work and my kids) to take the last four classes I needed to apply to my college’s nursing program. I tried to be competitive and get the best grades I could to get in to my CEP BSN program. And I did it. The experience I’ve acquired to get here has solidified my interest in the nursing field. The most impactful position was my CNA externship, because it was the most eye opening to see how people live in their long term environment once they are deemed unable. As a CNA, you see the patient the most and can determine so many alterations in their demeanor/status, and I saw that in real time. My phlebotomy experience gave me a lot of insight on patient comfort ability, consent, and the lab/sterile side of the field. I’m excited to put the two together and get more in-depth knowledge about the things that actually interest me. As of now, I’d like to go into the ER or ICU to become confident in my abilities as a nurse, but I’ve also always been drawn to Labor and Delivery or the NICU. All very different sides of the nursing dice, but that’s the beauty of it, really, to be able to do so much with one degree.

My name is Sabrina, and I’m a mother of 3 girls (ages 1, 2, 3), a full time server and manager at Pita Jungle, and have just recently been accepted into an accelerated BSN program at Mesa Community College and GCU. It has taken a lot of hard work and patience to get here, with many late nights and early mornings studying, and raising my wonderful babies. I am familiar with juggling time and priorities, so I’m very excited to take the leap from serving tables into the world of healthcare and nursing, and to be able to apply the skills and passion into something that will make a difference in other people’s lives more deeply. I’ve honestly been drawn to this profession my whole life, and it’s almost unbelievable that this opportunity is real and happening. My journey from graduating high school to now has been leading up to this point; I have received my phlebotomy certification, CNA certification, and enjoyed my externships at a SW VA clinic, long term care facilities, and hospitals. I’ve seen many people drop out because of the reality of providing care for people at their most vulnerable. The more I attended and participated, my more eager I became to actually be in my nursing program because it felt so good. The satisfaction that came from making a patient feel at ease, smile, or feel understood was surreal. Patient’s families expressing their gratitude was heartwarming. The experiences shared with the employees that see these patients every day was grounding. The stories that were shared by all the people I’ve been able to spend time with still sticks with me to this day, and I’m so ready to be that positive influence. Currently at my job, I have many regulars that I get so happy to see, and I do enjoy what I do, but there’s that part of me that desires the job security that also comes with the healthcare field and the challenge that comes with facing something new every day. Overall, I know this program will be extremely stressful (mentally and financially) and having to take time off work to fit the kid’s schedule, studying, and Clinicals in will be difficult, but manageable with the right resources. I’m prepared to work hard and support my family as well. I want my girls to look up to me and know that they can do anything they want, and that I’ll always support them. It all starts here with the choices I make. I appreciate this opportunity to share my life with you, and this scholarship would be incredibly helpful for us. Thank you.

My name is Sabrina, and I’m a mother of 3 girls (ages 1, 2, 3), a full time server and manager at Pita Jungle, and have just recently been accepted into an accelerated BSN program at Mesa Community College and GCU. It has taken a lot of hard work and patience to get here, with many late nights and early mornings studying, and raising my wonderful babies. I’m so excited to take the leap from serving tables into the world of healthcare and nursing, and to be able to apply the skills and passion into something that will make a difference in other people’s lives more deeply. I’ve honestly been drawn to this profession my whole life, and it’s almost unbelievable that this opportunity is real and happening. My journey from graduating high school to now has been leading up to this point; I have received my phlebotomy certification, CNA certification, and enjoyed my externships at a SW VA clinic, long term care facilities, and hospitals. I’ve seen many people drop out because of the reality of providing care for people at their most vulnerable. The more I attended and participated, my more eager I became to actually be in my nursing program because it felt so good. The satisfaction that came from making a patient feel at ease, smile, or feel understood was surreal. Patient’s families expressing their gratitude was heartwarming. The experiences shared with the employees that see these patients every day was grounding. The stories that were shared by all the people I’ve been able to spend time with still sticks with me to this day, and I’m so ready to be that positive influence. Currently at my job, I have many regulars that I get so happy to see, and I do enjoy what I do, but there’s that part of me that desires the job security that also comes with the healthcare field and the challenge that comes with facing something new every day. Overall, I know this program will be extremely stressful (mentally and financially) and having to take time off work to fit the schedule, studying, and Clinicals in - so I’m reaching out to all the resources that I can to be prepared to work hard and support my family as well. I want my girls to look up to me and know that they can do anything they want, and that I’ll always support them. It all starts here with the choices I make. I appreciate this opportunity to share my life with you, and this scholarship would be incredibly helpful for the next 16 months.