2022-23 Scholarship Program
The Northwest Region Nurses Association invites nursing students to apply for the NWRNA Nursing Scholarship.
The purpose of the Nursing Scholarship Program is to support students in our community pursuing a career in nursing and to support NWRNA members seeking to grow in their career development. The association will award four $1,000 scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year.
General Information
- NWRNA Scholarship Committee will select scholarship recipients.
- All information will be held in strict confidence.
- This scholarship is a one-time award.
- New recipients will be selected annually.
- Scholarship recipients will be notified by email.
- Scholarship recipients will be recognized in NWRNA communications and on the NWRNA website.
Scholarships Available
- Four $1,000 scholarships will be awarded for the 2022-23 academic year
- Two scholarships for students seeking initial licensure as a RN.
- Two scholarships for NWRNA members seeking a bachelor’s degree in nursing or an advanced degree in nursing or a related field.
- NWRNA reserves the right to alter distribution of scholarships depending on applications received.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be currently enrolled during the 2022-23 academic year, or be accepted into a program beginning during the 2022-23 academic year:
- in a nursing program (accredited by ACEN or CCNE) leading to initial licensure as a RN; or
- in a program for current RNs leading to a bachelor’s degree in nursing; or
- in a program leading to an advanced degree in nursing or a related field.
- You do not have to be enrolled for the entire year or a Washington resident. However, you must:
- maintain a permanent address in Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, or Whatcom counties; or
- be enrolled in a nursing program in one of those counties.
- If enrolled in a nursing program, maintain a minimum “B” average (3.0 grade point average).
Award Criteria
- All recipients must meet eligibility requirements.
- Essays will be evaluated with specific emphasis on the following areas:
- Motivation to enter the field or enhance your career growth
- Financial need and explanation of how the scholarship will meet those needs
- Commitment to provide health care to underserved populations
- Thoughtfulness and originality
Application Packet – Incomplete Applications Will Not Be Considered
- Completed NWRA Scholarship Application
- Current College Transcripts or Letter of Acceptance (copies acceptable).
- Essay (up to two pages; double-spaced; 12-pt type or larger). Using a writing style that best expresses who you are, please address the following questions:
- What is your motivation to enter the field of nursing or to prepare for the next stage of your career?
- What are any financial burdens you are facing as you pursue your goals?
- How will this scholarship reduce your burdens and enhance your success?
- How would you describe your commitment to provide health care to underserved populations?
How To Apply
- Application materials may be submitted online or by mail or email. Materials must be received or postmarked by 11:59 p.m. PDT on June 30, 2022.
- Apply online.
- Mail print-version application to NWRNA, 1800 James St, Suite 103, Bellingham, WA 98225; or email materials in pdf format to office@nwrna.org. Emailed submissions must include all of the materials listed below in a single email correspondence.
Our thanks to NWRNA Scholarship Team volunteers Beth Carlson and Jennifer Shelton for coordinating our scholarship program.
You can help us provide more funding to more students by giving to the NWRNA Scholarship Fund.
Meet our 2021 Scholars
Advanced Nursing Degree
Andy McMurray
Andy McMurray is a NWRNA member and a student in the MSN-FNP program at Gonzaga University.
Andy has worked for the past seven years as a critical care nurse. Growing up in a rural community in Iowa has fueled his desire to become a FNP, with a goal of working as a practitioner in traditionally underserved rural communities.
“The experiences I have had as a bedside nurse have laid the foundation for my future practice and the personal motivation to help those in need, specifically in rural critical access areas. Healthcare professionals in these communities are valued not only for their knowledge, but because they may be the only access to healthcare a community has.”
Miriam Witt
Miriam Witt is a NWRNA member and a student in the MSN program at Western Governors University.
Miriam works as an RN at Skagit Valley Hospital. She also volunteers internationally as a disaster response nurse, and teaches part-time as a Clinical Nurse Educator at Skagit Valley College.
After graduating from high school, Miriam traveled to Kenya to volunteer at an orphanage in an area ravaged by AIDS. “I experienced the toll this debilitating disease brought to the people of this community. Every day I walked with sick children in my arms for several miles to the nearest hospital. At this point in my life, I realized I wanted to make nursing a life-long career.”
Initial RN Licensure
Veronica DeGolier
Veronica DeGolier is a nursing student at Bellingham Technical College.
Veronica has worked as a doula since 2017, witnessing and supporting 31 women through pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period. This experience has led her to pursue a career in nursing with the ambition of working as a labor and delivery nurse.
Veronica says her passion for the profession energizes her to “spend my off days reading the most current research on lowering cesarean rates, how to catch preeclampsia sooner, avoiding unnecessary medical intervention, understanding the vast difference in black maternal mortality rates vs. white women, and more.”
Rachel Hollinsworth
Rachel Hollinsworth is a nursing student at Bellingham Technical College, seeking an DTA-MRP Associate Degree.
Rachel was working as a food service assistant at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. Through tuition assistance available through her union, she became certified as a nursing assistant. When COVID hit, she volunteered to assist at the Shuksan Healthcare Center. She also volunteered with the Whatcom County Syringe Services Program.
Rachel says these experiences have given her a “better understanding of their circumstances and challenges. One of the main things these experiences have provided me is the ability to gauge people by their verbal and nonverbal communication and control the way I interact and respond to them.”
Cheyenne Scheffler
Cheyenne Scheffler is a nursing student in the ADN-RN program at Everett Community College.
Cheyenne currents works as a CNA at Providence in Everett. She also volunteers with Catholic Community Services of Western Washington.
Cheyenne says her inspiration to pursue a nursing career started from her own experience as a patient as a teenager. “It was truly through the care of the nursing staff that I began the challenging road to recovery. They were so caring, compassionate, understanding and willing to help that it instantly became my goal to repay their kindness.”