Yvonne Andrews Award
I am entering my fourth year in the BScN Honor’s program at the University of Alberta. When I was young, I was exposed to the work of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). It made me wonder- why are so many people so sick around the world, and I have access to everything I need? From that moment on, I knew I was interested in health care.
When I entered university I still wasn’t sure exactly what this looked like until I started to learn about global health. Immediately I knew, this is what I want to study and have a career in.
If you’ve ever seen the 4 circle Venn diagram illustrating how to find your purpose, it shows 1) That which you love – There is nothing I am more passionate about than global health, most of my leadership, volunteer, and academic activities are in global health. 2) That which the world needs – The world needs more nurses in global health, especially in global health leadership. We are hugely underrepresented and are the most important part of healthcare worldwide. 3) That which you are good at 4) Something that can be a profession
Nursing has given me the opportunity to pursue my passion for global health through research, leadership, education, and practice. Being a nurse offers a unique lens of authentic empathy and critical advocacy to resolving problems, both of which we could use a lot more of in the world, especially in global health.”