“I am a 35-year-old female resident of Port Angeles with an extensive background in healthcare. I am beyond excited that I was accepted into the Peninsula College Nursing Program. I started working in healthcare at the age of 19 with a dream of becoming a registered nurse. I was employed full-time as a Certified Medical Assistant, working in primary care, for seven years before I was accepted to the nursing program in the fall of 2022. During that time, I formed invaluable relationships with fellow community healthcare workers and patients, a vast amount of medical knowledge, and a tremendous skillset. I am confident that after completing the nursing program I will be able to provide a higher level of care, think critically, expand my employment opportunities, and achieve financial security for myself and my two children. I look forward to the next chapter in my career as a registered nurse, and as always, continuing to provide excellent healthcare for the residents of Clallam County.
Born and raised in Port Angeles, Julie has come through adversity herself, having been raised from a young age in a single-parent family affected by alcohol. She came through the pandemic while starting her own family. She understands and is an integral part of the community.
She states, “The Live Your Dream Award will help me pay for my core living expenses such as housing, utilities, and transportation for myself and my two children. In addition, this Award will help me fund school-related expenses including fees in the Winter quarter, new scrubs, medical equipment, liability insurance, and a larger budget for fuel because there will be times I am required to travel to Sequim for clinical experiences.” “Since I began college, I am no longer working and have become financially insecure, something I haven’t experienced since my early 20s. It’s even scarier than I remember now that I have two children to provide for, and the sudden spike in the cost of living makes everything unpredictable. However, I have been planning to go to nursing school for the past two years and I used the opportunity to pay down my debt and eliminate all monthly payments that are not directly associated with day-to-day living. I am trying to live simple, but as we all know life gives us surprises that you cannot plan for, and sometimes they are expensive, so any consideration for your scholarship would be greatly appreciated by myself and my children. Your award would give us invaluable time together and allow me to keep doing my best as a nursing student, and as a mother.”
Her reference stated, “Through her care and caring she has not only risen above her own circumstances; she improves the lives of everyone she touches.”