Eaton Foundation Award

I was drawn to nursing for many reasons, despite not knowing much about it. As a kid, I spent an extended period of time in the hospital and it instilled in me a great respect for healthcare workers and I knew from then on I wanted to help people the same way I had been helped. One day, I was sitting on a bus opposite of a woman wearing scrubs, and I remember thinking to myself how much I wished that were me. At the time, I was in a different program and I was not happy there. I remember looking at her name tag and seeing nursing student and I think that’s when I became, at least subconsciously, set on becoming a nurse. Eventually, I found myself looking through the Thompson Rivers University School of Nursing website and asking every nurse I knew that the job was like. The list of requirements to apply was incredibly daunting and I didn’t know whether or not I would get in. But I was determined.

Health and social justice have always been concepts about which I’ve been passionate. When I see inequity, I call it out. Nursing has shaped me into a stronger advocate and has taken me places I could have never imagined. I have found something to love about my program and path every single day, and I have learned so much about myself. Now, I am doing research in nursing after only my second year, when before I would have never imagined myself a researcher. I am a member of my university’s student union, and participated in my first campaign trail. I am also an active member of the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association, and a vocal advocate for the social determinants of health and community and public health. What I am most proud of is how confident I have become and in the knowledge I have gained. I truly feel like I will be able to contribute to the Canadian healthcare system for the better.