Thanks to a generous contribution from nursing job board NurseRecruiter, last month we awarded our first ever nursing scholarship to a promising future nurse who was raised in a cult that routinely violated the basic human rights of children.
The recipient of the scholarship, who has requested to remain anonymous, impressed us with her incredible accomplishments, resilience and unwavering commitment despite the many obstacles she faced. Here is part of her story from her application:
I left the cult in 2010. I didn’t know how to drive. I only had a GED. I couldn’t read fluently till I was 18 years old and could hardly read at all by the age of 12, those in the cult told me it was okay because I was dyslexic. I struggled for the last 8 years to get my associates (I graduated with honors, and currently hold a 3.68 GPA), get my drivers license, build new good friendships and learn to trust people again. I’m now 30. But I’ve struggled quite a lot financially through nursing school. I’m alone. I only have one relative who lives in the US and they live in a different city than me. During this Christmas vacation while my classmates are getting manicures and pedicures and relaxing before the next big semester and state boards, I’m literally picking up 14 hour shifts over my winter break hoping to make enough so that hopefully I won’t have to work too many days during the last semester of nursing, because all my instructors and classmates are telling me that the last semester it is too hard to work during this portion and then the preceptorship. But I have no choice. I picked up 85 hours of work over the next fifteen days even though all I need is a good night sleep and a vacation. And I applied for 51 scholarships, I haven’t heard back from anyone. My car is too old to make the trip to Phoenix to see my sister so she is going to drive down here and pick me up so I can have a few days of Christmas at least. I know all this will be over soon. I’ll graduate in May, pass the NCLEX in July and be working at a nice hospital by August, but I am so desperate now and overwhelmed by my need for help.
This promising future nurse received a $1000 nursing scholarship funded by NurseRecruiter and an additional $500 scholarship grant from the Julia McNeil Memorial Scholarship program. We are delighted to have been able to make a small contribution to help her become a nurse and we hope that she is the first of many future nurses we are able to help.
If you or or someone you know was raised in a cult and wants to become a nurse, please let them know about our nursing scholarship.