Nursing Scholarship Awarded

Congratulations to Raquel Garcia, a recipient of the spring 2007 chooseNursing.com scholarship award

Raquel Garcia is the first generation in her family to go to college and the only one in her family who works in the healthcare industry.

As a student at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, she recalls how different high school is to college. No bells ringing to remind you that classes are ending and that you have a few minutes to get to your next class.

“It was a hard transition for me,” she says. “I had to retake anatomy/physiology class because I failed it the first time around. However, on the second try, I aced it,” she says. Garcia soon found a mentor in her college advisor.

“I could talk to her about anything and she always provided me the support I needed,” she says proudly. “She’s retiring this year and I’ll miss her.”

Her short terms goal is to finish nursing school and do volunteer work this summer.

Long term goals include more education with a MSN degree and becoming a NP. She also wishes to work in pediatric oncology. “The children are in such a critical state and I feel like it’s my calling,” she says. Moreover, she aspires to become a nurse ambassador and encourage more Hispanics to consider nursing. “I’ve run across only two Hispanic nurses during my clinical rotations,” she says.

As for advice to nursing students, Garcia urges students to ask instructors for advice. She also recommends allowing yourself some “me” time because the course work can be overwhelming. “Even our instructors tell us to take breaks and then go back to studying,” says Garcia. And lastly, she says to not listen to other peoples’ stories because you may not be affected in the same way. Giving back is also on Garcia’s radar.

She and 10 teammates participated in the 2006 breast cancer walk to raise awareness. They donated $3,000 to the American Cancer Society. At a health fair this year she and four other classmates educated residents in a low income community on how to care for your eyes and ears.

Garcia will graduate in May 2009 with her BSN degree.

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