Intermountain Healthcare Supports USU Nursing Student Diversity
Mireya Molinar, a nursing student attending at USU Eastern-Price.
The Intermountain Healthcare Diversity Scholarship helps ethnically diverse students who are pursuing a degree and career in nursing. This fall, seven Utah State University nursing students were awarded the scholarship including five at USU Eastern-Blanding and two at USU Eastern-Price.
“We are very grateful for Intermountain Healthcare’s donation,” said Carole Grady, USU director of nursing programs and assistant department head. “The seven students who received the scholarship are highly deserving and I couldn’t be happier for them. All seven are in good standing with USU’s nursing program and are maintaining great GPAs. It’s a good reflection of how well the program is doing at our regional campuses and centers.”
The scholarship builds on Intermountain Healthcare’s mission of encouraging a diverse workforce that can be more responsive to patients’ varied cultural beliefs and practices. Having a cultural diversity among nurses promotes positive health outcomes and increases the overall comfort of each patient. The students awarded the scholarship have maintained a minimum of 3.0 GPA and come from culturally diverse backgrounds. Preference was given to those with bilingual skills and foreign language fluency.
“My parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico looking for a better future,” said Mireya Molinar, a nursing student attending at USU Eastern-Price. “Both had to focus on working rather than education in order to provide for the family. I am grateful for their sacrifice and am happy my hard work in school is paying off.”
Molinar hopes to eventually become a bilingual Nurse Practitioner.
All seven students were awarded $5,000 that is divided into $2,250 for two semesters. The money can go towards tuition, books, fees, and/or other barriers including childcare, transportation, and other situations that prevent culturally diverse students from pursuing a nursing degree.
Rachel Johnson, a nursing student attending at USU Eastern-Blanding, has two boys and the scholarship has helped offset the cost of childcare.
“It was difficult deciding to go back to school,” Johnson said. “My little boys’ lives have been a whirlwind of crazy schedules, frozen dinners, and early mornings and late nights at daycare. This scholarship helps remove a lot of the financial burden so I don’t have to take so many extra shifts at work.”
The Intermountain Healthcare donation will allow USU to award the new scholarship for several more years. The hospitals and healthcare centers should reflect the culturally diverse population found in Utah, and this scholarship propels that goal forward.
Contact: Dana Rhoades, 435.722.1788, dana.rhoades@usu.edu
USU Eastern-Blanding nursing student Rachel Johnson.
TOPICS
Statewide Campuses 348stories Diversity & Inclusion 252storiesComments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.
