Sanofi Pasteur Award

People often ask me why I became a nurse, and my response has usually been “because I want to help people”. It is not until recently that I really understood the meaning of this.  While working and volunteering abroad in various developing countries, I learned that living in poverty was a challenging reality for many families. Upon returning home to Toronto, I could see the stark difference in health outcomes; much of this was related to access to health care, services, and knowledge. I started working on the isolated rural northern Aboriginal reserves in Ontario where access to health care continues to be a challenge. After living and working in third world conditions in these communities with limited access to clean drinking water and no physician on site, I decided to return to school to become a Nurse Practitioner.

I can now say that I became a nurse to help people understand their health, bodies, and how to best use their resources to create the healthiest outcome for themselves and their families. I am excited and extremely grateful for the CNF Sanofi Pasteur Limited Scholarship which is allowing me to continue my studies while working with this vulnerable group in delivering primary health care and access to public health services.