Dr. Dorothy J. Kergin Fellowship Award

I have always had an innate desire to help people and I knew that my future life endeavours had to involve that in some regard. When I was a teenager, I toyed with different ideas from becoming a doctor to a lawyer, but nothing felt completely right. None of those professions fully fit what I was looking for. A profession where I really would get to help and connect with people in a personal and meaningful way.  Fortunately, during my undergraduate degree I started working for a queer organization who does sexual health and harm reduction work. Through this program I met an amazing nurse who really inspired me with her work. She was out in the community helping those in need, doing harm reduction work and promoting access to healthcare no mater what a person’s background was. Meeting her was one of the main reasons I decided to become a nurse. She was the one who showed me just how vast and impactful a nurse’s role can be and she showed me how nurses take a unique and holistic view of health that is not seen in other health professions. It is because of this impactful nurse and the worldview that I was exposed to that I found my passion for nursing.