My parents made a major decision for my siblings and me that has significantly affected my life and my education forever when we moved from Mexico to the United States in search of equal opportunity and better education. I grew up in an impoverished community on the Mexico-Texas border, but I consider myself fortunate and blessed to come from a family that places great value on education and the pursuit of upward mobility. Although English is my second language, the obstacles in my higher education were overcome through determination and a persistence to achieve advanced educational goals.
I have had the opportunity to work closely with the Oregon Latino community by focusing on diabetes prevention and the health promotion of this disease. As a Chronic Disease Self-Management Coordinator, I worked one-on-one providing education, advocacy and support to a growing migrant community in Oregon that was greatly affected by the current diabetes epidemic. Through this experience, I became part of the grassroots movement taking place in our neighborhoods that help at-risk populations develop the skills they need to improve and maintain individual and family health.
Nursing is a stepping stone towards my purpose of becoming an important contributor to the current efforts impacting public policy related to Hispanic health care needs. As part of this goal I plan to pursue an education beyond a Bachelor’s degree and continue to nurture my desire to be a Mastered or Ph.D prepared nurse in the future. An advanced degree in combination with the knowledge of the Latino culture and fluency of the Spanish language will help decrease the severe shortage of Latina/Latino nurses in our community. Through nursing, I hope to continue to be part of the movement that promotes culturally sensitive models of intervention and effective health care to the growing Hispanic population.
I am proud to say that I received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholarship through New Careers in Nursing Program in 2010 and that my educational achievements have been made possible with their support and their generous funding. This scholarship lessoned my financial needs and allowed me to focus entirely on school. I look forward to being able to give back to the community once I begin my career and with the help of this scholarship, complete my degree in nursing.
