Intermountain Healthcare Awards USU Students Nursing Scholarship

Two Utah State University (USU) students were selected for Intermountain Healthcare’s competitive, statewide Diversity Scholarship. The scholarship aims to increase the diversity of registered nurses in Utah in response to the various cultures of patients. USU nursing students My Nguyen and Teancum Guild received the scholarship.

“These students reflect the best of Utah’s future nursing generation, who will be more responsive to patients’ varied cultural beliefs and practices,” said Carole Grady, USU’s nursing program director. “Through this scholarship, our rigorous curriculum and stellar faculty, each of them are empowered to exceed all expectations, and we are confident they will.”

A major drive for Guild are the stories his mother tells of her time on a Navajo reservation. “She spent most of her adolescent years on the reservation. One of their major struggles was having access to quality health care. Hearing these stories motivates me to keep moving forward and to one day provide healthcare to those who desperately need it.”

My Nguyen witnessed first-hand the trials of living without healthcare. In Vietnam, she lived in a small town “plagued by poverty where the high cost of healthcare made it inaccessible.” At the time, she was too young to do anything about it, but now finds herself in a position to help make a difference. “With my nursing degree in hand, I plan on giving back to societies that lack access to healthcare. My family and I moved 8,119 miles around the globe to find a better life. It wasn’t easy, but it has been worth it. My family’s sacrifice is a big motivator for me.”

This two-semester scholarship of $5,000, or $2,250 per semester, is for culturally diverse nursing students in their first or second-year associate program, taking a minimum of nine credit hours while maintaining a 3.0 GPA. 

Contact: Dana M. Rhoades, Assistant Marketing Director, Student Marketing & Communications, Utah State University, 435.722.1788