Sanofi Pasteur Limited Scholarship in Public/Community Health

My name is Mary Mitchell, and I am a nurse. I grew up in a small town in British Columbia and since a young age, I have been passionate about caring for children and infants. I was fortunate to have a student work experience opportunity in high school, during which time I witnessed the birth of a child. This was when something sparked inside me, and I knew I had to become a nurse. I attended nursing school at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna and since graduating have worked in maternity, pediatrics, and public health. In my practice I place strong emphasis on the importance of health promotion and disease prevention, and this includes building capacity in those most affected by the issue at hand. I have spent a significant amount of time nursing overseas, both in Australia and in rural Africa. These experiences exposed me to different health systems and highlighted how essential nurses are both as advocates and as leaders in planning and delivering care. The above experiences have shaped the person I am today and have been influential in fostering my desire to further my education – to acquire new knowledge and tools that will support me as a leader. This is the reason that I have embarked upon a Master of Nursing degree. It is my hope that the knowledge I gain will help me to become a stronger leader and will make me better equipped to advocate for the public at a senior level.