Royal Victoria Alumnae Association Award

Two years ago when I started the Bachelor of Science in Nursing at McGill University, I was excited to embark on a new adventure after many years working as an emergency responder in a small mountain town in British Columbia. Little did I know how much nursing would grow on me and become an intrinsic part of my identity.  Initially drawn to the profession from my experience in first aid and working in fast pace environments as a ski patroller on high mountain peaks and a wildland firefighter in the Albertan muskeg, the privileged relationships developed with patients and their families would be the determining factor anchoring my decision to pursue a career in nursing.

I cannot imagine many other professions where such trust is placed in your hands simply by the nature of your profession. Nurses do change lives.  I furthermore believe nurses to be uniquely positioned to be actors of change in the current healthcare landscape.  Upon graduation, I then hope to start gaining clinical experience in a rural community in order to eventually pursue graduate studies in public health to address systemic issues within the healthcare system.  I hope to positively contribute to the lives of patients across their lifespan, as well as to the nursing profession in the many years to come.  It is an absolute honor to have been selected as a CNF scholar, and I cannot wait to see what my nursing career will lead me to accomplish.