As a part of Stat Staff Professionals, Inc.’s commitment to education, we sponsor numerous scholarships to help students achieve their dreams.

Natalia, a recent recipient of one of Stat Staff’s scholarships, came into our offices to talk about her dreams of being a nurse, education, and the American Dream. 

[Transcript]

I think I was a nurse before I was a nurse.  When I was 4 years old, I moved in to live with my grandmother who was very sick. By the time I was 5 years old, I was helping her with dressing changes and her medications. And this is when I learned how to care for somebody.

My grandmother was dying, and I didn't know what I could do to fix her. But I had no books for anatomy and physiology.  I had no way to access the Internet. And I started reading my sister's biology book from 7th and 8th grade. In that book I saw like this between human, amphibian, and bird, and mammal embryos. And I figured out that if we all look the same from the start, then the animal and human body must function in the same way.

I decided that I wanted to become a physician and enter medical school upon completion of high school.

When I moved to the United States, I moved here alone at 18 years old. And I took any job that I could possibly get my hands on. Unfortunately, it was not healthcare.

But at one point, I thought about what does it mean to me to live the American Dream. To some people it means the proverbial picket fence with 1.5 children. But to me it meant a little bit more than that. Financial stability is wonderful but I also felt a need to be able to give back to the community that welcomed me to this country with open arms. 

One day, I decided to just go ahead and pursue my dream of caring for people who are sick or in need. I entered nursing school because it was probably the fastest way for me to get to healthcare and begin my journey there. But when I actually became a nurse, then I realized that being a nurse is more than just providing medical care.

It involves nurturing, compassion, understanding, and advocating to improve our nursing care and our medical care in general. When I started working with the veterans, I realized that I am needed in this field. And especially to provide care to the most deserving population of all. People who protected and defended our country.

When I learned that I received a surprise scholarship from Stat Staff, I was so thrilled. It just makes me feel so good that someone out there reached out to me in my time of need.

I just want to thank Staff Staff from the bottom of my heart for providing me this opportunity. This will help me to enter your practitioner program and my ultimate goal is to provide care for our veterans.