Tecla Linn & Nelia Laroza Memorial Award

I was inspired by a nurse who was ensuring utmost comfort to my grandfather when he was on his deathbed at the local hospital. With that inspiration and aim to serve the community, I did B.Sc. Nursing from Pakistan and helped in educating the rural communities on the topic of sexual health.

I started my career as a surgical nurse and later got promoted as a critical care nurse where I learned life-saving skills for critically ill patients and implemented these skills to improve their conditions.  During my clinical practice, I realized that people in rural areas in Pakistan had a lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health. This should be addressed at the micro-level.  This motivated me to work for a not-for-profit organization (Aahung) where I engaged individual families at the root level.  There I trained and mobilized the school teachers and health care providers who were able to spread the education to their students, clients and the community at large.

My career goal is to enhance the primary healthcare in outreach areas. For this reason, when I moved to Calgary, I enrolled myself in the Bridge to Canadian Nursing program at the Mount Royal University.  I am very thankful for the Tecla Linn & Nelia Laroza Memorial scholarship which is helping me towards my goal.  I am looking forward to complete the bridging program and start improving lives, making sure that people in pain (patients) get comfort from the professionals they rely on.