Royal Victoria Alumni Award

Originally from Moscow, Russia, I immigrated to Toronto, Canada at a young age. Wanting to increase my proficiency in French, I then moved to Montreal, Quebec, where I first began my undergraduate studies Bachelor of Science in Nursing at McGill University.

My professional experience, post-graduation, includes work at the cardiology intensive care unit and in the orthopaedic trauma unit of the Montreal General Hospital (McGill University Health Centre). Currently, I am completing my Masters of Science Nurse Practitioner program at McGill University.

Driven by a desire to practice a meaningful profession, in my own opinion, I was drawn to nursing initially because I saw it as a tangible way to help others. Nursing appealed to me because of its foundation as a health science which could be applied through interpersonal engagement with patients. I found it inspiring that nursing philosophy is grounded in an optimism that seeks to enable individuals to achieve health that fits their unique vision and circumstances. Health has many different facets to me; mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and by treating each person as a whole, there can be many paths to care for another person. Patient care is a privilege, that allows me to continue nourishing my curiosity about health, science and human relationships.