At the Head of the Class

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Minority Nurse 2001 Scholarship Winners

By Valerie Anderson and Maureen Vaught

A Leader in the Classroom—and the Community

Shirley Carrington, a nursing student at Northeastern University in Boston, is the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship from Minority Nurse. She will graduate in June 2002.

Shirley is extremely active within her community and is a long-standing member of her local mosque. She is credited with establishing the Big Sister program within her mosque, as well as many community outreach programs. Shirley has also volunteered her services working with elderly residents at the Benjamin Nursing Home and the Burgoyne Rest Home.

According to her professor, Rosanna DeMarco, RN, PhD, ACRN, “Shirley demonstrates leadership while she balances a full load of studies at school and an active family life. She is often in attendance at school town meetings and participates in requirements of her studies by giving and receiving support with other students.“

Shirley tells Minority Nurse that she is both “grateful and excited about winning the scholarship.” This is her last year of nursing school; after graduation, Shirley plans to go into medical/surgical nursing in preparation for her ultimate goal, which is to work as a nurse in the operating room. She advises Minority Nurse readers to stay focused on their goals and to not let anyone take their vision away from them.

"A Deep Commitment to the Needs of Others"

Kieu Thi Tran, a third-year nursing student at Hope College in Holland, Mich., will receive a $1,000 scholarship from Minority Nurse.

"Trustworthiness, reliability and a deep commitment to putting the needs of others above her own are a few of Kieu's outstanding qualities,” says Yolanda A. Vega, assistant director for the school's Upward Bound program, at which Kieu has worked as a volunteer tutor advisor for the past two summers.

Kieu has all the qualities that make a great nurse, but there's more. According to her microbiology professor, Glenda Gentile, Kieu has “done very well academically. I'm convinced that this scholarship will be an investment that will continue to produce lasting benefits to others as well as to her,” Gentile adds.

Those benefits are already being felt through the many volunteer activities in which Kieu participates. Kieu, who was born in Vietnam, serves as an interpreter and volunteer with the local Vietnamese community and has held various leadership roles in the college's Asian Prospective Association. She is also a resident assistant in the Phelps Scholars Program at Hope.

"Being a student of color on campus has given me a great voice to educate others about issues that are going on with Asian Americans and students of color in general,” Kieu says.

Upon graduation in 2003, Kieu hopes to go on to graduate school and obtain her master's in nursing. She explains, “I love to help people and to be actively involved in their lives. I chose the career of nursing because it is a rewarding field with high standards and integrity.“

Striving to Serve

David Franklyn Singh, a member of the National Black Nurses Association, was awarded $500 to help him continue his nursing education at the Florida Atlantic University College of Nursing. He has also received several Certificates of Academic Excellence at the University and has an exceptional grade point average of 3.89.

Rosalee Fyffe, CROP coordinator at Florida Atlantic University, describes David as an outstanding individual. “[David] strives for academic excellence; he is a hard worker and a caring individual. In essence, he is an exemplary role model,” she says.

David supplements his education with extensive community service. He volunteers as a tutor for inner-city African-American youth; he volunteers at a free-food kitchen for the homeless and has also volunteered his services at several local medical centers and emergency room facilities.

David tells Minority Nurse that he is honored to receive the scholarship and that it will help him towards his goal of working in psychiatric and medical/surgical nursing post-graduation. He hopes to land a nursing job in a large inner-city hospital where he will be able to practice his skills while working with many diverse racial and ethnic populations.

David offers this advice to Minority Nurse readers: “Be aware of the situation of health care for minorities in the U.S. and do what you can to better it.“

Giving Back to the Latino Community

DeLana Ramirez will receive a $500 scholarship from Minority Nurse. A member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and a student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing, in Lincoln, DeLana plans to graduate in December 2002 with a BS in Nursing. “Upon graduation I plan to continue my education and obtain a master's degree, specializing in neonatal and labor/delivery care,” she says. “I especially want to aid the Latino population with women's health care needs.”

Faculty member Elizabeth A. Carranza-Rodriguez describes DeLana as “an outstanding and well-rounded student who has found time to give back to her community both on and off campus while maintaining a commitment to academic excellence.”

Since coming to Lincoln, DeLana has been an active member of the area's Hispanic community. She has served in a variety of leadership roles for the university's Mexican American Student Association, including that of president, and has been a member of the local Hispanic Community Center's Folkloric Dance group, Zapatas Alegres. In addition, DeLana has passed on her love of nursing by mentoring other nursing students.

"I am truly honored to receive the Minority Nurse Scholarship Award,” says DeLana. “It is nice to be rewarded and recognized.“

DeLana's long-term goals include obtaining a PhD in nursing education so that she can pursue her dream of becoming a nursing instructor. “That's the beauty of nursing, there are so many things that I can do,” she adds.

Editor's Note: For more information about the Minority Nurse Magazine Scholarship Program, now entering its third year, see the scholarship listings or visit our Financial Aid section.