Four Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing students have won prestigious Nurse Corps Scholarships, which pay for tuition and fees in full as well as living expenses. The program is designed to bring high levels of care to underserved communities, and students commit to working at a Critical Shortage Facility (CSF) for two years after graduation.
Recipients:
- Collin Hoyt of Holtville, Calif. (expected graduation June ‘23);
- Sarah Miller of Vancouver, Wash. and the Big Island of Hawaii (expected graduation June ‘23);
- Ellie Rogge of West Bend, Wis. (expected graduation June ‘23);
- Monica Salazar of Hillsboro, Ore. and Santa Rosa, Guatemala (expected graduation December ’23).
Salazar’s path to the Nurse Corps was born out of her family’s circumstances when she was six years old. Her parents had just made the 3,500-mile journey with her and her three brothers from Santa Rosa, Guatemala to Hillsboro, Ore. and they were living in a 300-square foot trailer in a migrant camp while her parents picked berries.
Their only care, she said, was through Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center’s mobile clinic, which provides medical and dental services to farmworkers.
“I remember seeing the Virginia Garcia van with the little girl on it and knowing they were here to help us,” she wrote in her application essay. “I knew that I would come back one day and help the people living there.”
Sure enough, when she was in high school, she joined their outreach program, going to two different nurseries and migrant camps per week, helping with blood pressure, glucose monitoring and translation. Then the pandemic hit, and her work became even more vital — farmworker communities were hit overwhelmingly hard by COVID-19, and she was on the frontlines with testing and vaccination clinics.
Miller too was inspired to apply to the scholarship and commit to CSFs because of her own experiences.
“Nurse Corps focuses on high-need areas, especially areas where there are significant health disparities and barriers to accessing and receiving quality health care,” she said. “I have been in that situation myself; I’ve faced health disparities and had difficulties accessing and receiving care for both myself and my children. To be in a position to provide care to those that may not receive it otherwise, or help them find the care and resources they need? That’s exactly where I want to be and how I want to be of service to others in my practice as a nurse.”
She said it was a distinct honor to be selected as one of around 500 students chosen from an application pool of thousands.
It’s something everyone should celebrate, said School of Nursing Dean Paul Smith.
“In a normal year, we’re proud when one Linfield School of Nursing student received a Nurse Corps scholarship — it’s a very competitive and prestigious award,” he said. “When four students are selected, it’s a true honor to our student body, because it shows not only current excellence but also a commitment to bring the highest level of care to the communities who need it most upon graduation.”
The program is run through the federal government’s Health Resources and Services Administration, and selections are made based on academic performance, community service and FAFSA income levels, among other criteria.
It is precisely those qualities that will make these nurses so valuable to the communities they will serve.
“Nurse Corps has an amazing history and does important work,” Miller said. “Their entire purpose is something I want to be part of.”
Salazar agreed.
“I want to make patients feel welcomed and to be able to have a connection with them, whether it’s by being an immigrant, being Latino, or by connecting through similar past experiences they have been through,” she said. “Everyone deserves to feel understood.”
