Nursing Scholarship Awarded

Congratulations to Amanda Cherney-Reyes, a recipient of the spring 2007 chooseNursing.com scholarship award

Amanda Cherney-Reyes remembers as a little girl that she wanted to take care of people and thought she wanted to be a doctor. When she grew up, she realized she wanted to care for patients as a whole. She soon learned it is the nurse who is at the bedside and has the majority of contact with the patient. As a caring and nurturing person, nursing became Cherney-Reyes' focus.

“When people are at their lowest point it’s fulfilling to help them get through their illness,” says Cherney-Reyes.

Things could have turned out quite differently for Cherney-Reyes. As a child she was part of the foster care system for 11 years and lived in 17 different homes and group homes. “Many of the children don’t make it,” she says sadly. It would be so easy for her to say, ‘why me?’ but instead of dwelling on the past, she looks to the future.

With the help of her mentor, Pam Egerton who works at the Independent Living Program (a bridge program for children leaving foster care and transitioning into society), Cherney-Reyes was provided with a number of resources to help her get started.

One of Cherney-Reyes’ short term goals is to work in the NICU or work in PICU. Her long-term goal is to go back to school and get her MSN degree and either become a Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Anesthetist.

Her advice to students is to stay focused and ask questions—not just how, but why.

“Nursing is in such high demand and there are so many opportunities,” says Amanda Cherney-Reyes.

Cherney-Reyes will graduate from San Jose State in May 2009 earning her BSN degree.

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