Priscah Kabui

Nursing is a calling; it takes a strong heart, a warm heart and a compassionate heart. Without these it would be just a dreary job. Nursing is an emotionally rewarding job. It might be physically exhausting at times, but this is quickly forgotten when one realizes the difference he or she made in a patient’s life.

My dream was always to become a nurse and to positively impact people’s lives by helping them on their journey to recovery. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has played a great role in helping me fulfill my dream, not only through financial support, but also moral support. I have had great class and clinical experiences and have no doubt I chose the right career.

When I applied to the University of Delaware’s Accelerated Nursing program, I did not know how I was going to fund the program that I had been warned would be very expensive. With a young family and a rigorous nursing program, I could not count on working to meet some of the expenses. My prayers were answered when I was selected as one of the RWJF New Careers in Nursing scholarship recipients. This greatly eased my financial burden. Had it not been for the scholarship I would have been forced to drop out, or to apply for private loans. This also helped me to work less time and devote more time to studies.

The mentorship program provided by the New Careers in Nursing program contributed greatly towards completing my studies successfully. Through the program, I had two great mentors - a student mentor from the previous class, and a practicing nurse who was also an alumnus. They helped me tremendously. Having completed the same program, they were better placed to offer invaluable advice on the program.

I will forever be indebted to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In future I hope to help somebody fulfill his or her dream just like the RWJF helped me.