NWRNA Nursing Scholarship

Dafina Ibrani is a NWRNA member and is attending Vanderbilt University’s Post-Master’s Certificate Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program to train to become a neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP). 

Dafina has worked for five years as a NICU nurse where she developed a passion for caring for low- and high-risk neonates and their families. She currently works at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in the Special Care Nursery where she hopes to continue working as they expand their level of neonatal care. 

Dafina has a strong commitment to providing quality healthcare to underserved populations. She says, “to work as a NICU nurse is to provide healthcare to underserved populations, as they are so prevalent in the NICU. I am an advocate for expanding healthcare coverage and investing in community-based organizations to improve health outcomes.” 

Cori Hartunia is a nursing student at the University of Washington with an interest in Labor and Delivery and reproductive healthcare.  

Cori has been working as a birth doula for seven years and was inspired to seek a nursing career as an adult student by watching the impact nurses can have in supporting patients. 

Cori says that she “wants to support the whole reproductive lifespan of individuals of all genders and sexual orientations. As a birth-, abortion-, and postpartum-doula, I have supported people along their path during short but powerful moments of their lives. I have seen nurses step up in powerful, memorable ways of supporting patients, whether in Labor and Delivery or in the care of a family member.” 

Mailee Nguyen is a nursing student at Everett Community College, pursuing a Nursing AAS-DTA/MRP. 

Mailee was inspired to pursue nursing by the medical staff that supported her family through a medical crisis. She has a desire to positively impact others and to give back by helping her patients overcome sickness and accept death.   

Mailee says that she wants to “provide healthcare to the people in my community, especially the underserved populations. I understand the sacrifices and struggles that the underserved populations go through, and I can relate to patients who may have a knowledge gap about their situation or symptoms.” 

Juliana Ramirez started in the Nursing Program at Everett Community College on September 20, 2021. 

Juliana realized that she wanted to have a career focused on helping others that integrated health, wellness, and education when she completed her high school career. She was ecstatic to be accepted into a nursing program after years of taking prerequisite courses and applying to programs. 

Juliana says that “healthcare has been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. Seeing the state of our society and the world today regarding health, wellness, awareness, education, and access is extremely disheartening and discouraging. I want to do whatever I can to ensure and help provide quality care for anyone and everyone that needs it.” 

Brianna Reyes is pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at the University of Washington Bothell. 

Brianna received an Associates Degree in Nursing from Everett Community College and is currently working in the field. She will begin her Bachelor’s degree program in Autumn 2022. Scholarship support will help her pursue certifications, including ones for sexual assault nurse examiner, psychiatric-mental health nursing, and forensic nurse specialist. 

Brianna says that “she hopes to use her education and own life experiences to become a nurse that provides excellent patient-centered care and advocates for change that will ensure better behavioral and criminalistic healthcare for all who need it.”