Class of 2023 Honors Recipients
Congratulations to the UNC School of Nursing Class of 2023 honors recipients and the Alph Alpha Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International grant recipients! Your exceptional work and dedication to nursing research are a shining example of the future of the nursing profession.
Kathyrn Burket
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child maltreatment: An integrative review
Advisors: Erin Stanley, DNP, RN, CEN, SANE-A, CCLS and Elizabeth Stone, PhD, RN, CPEM, FAEN
Why did you choose nursing?
I have always been interested in working in the medical field. However, after learning about the rich interaction that nurses get to have with their patients and hearing the stories that my aunt, Rizza, would tell about working as a nurse on a pediatric oncology floor, I knew that I wanted to become a nurse.
Isabel Daumen
Just-in-Time Education for Nursing Students: Accessing and Utilizing Interpretation Services
Advisor: Maureen Baker, PhD, CNL, CHSE
Why did you choose nursing?
As nurses, we have the honor of spending hours at the bedside with our patients, fostering meaningful connections with both patients and family members. I am looking forward to building these connections as I begin my career as an RN in UNC’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. In the PICU, I hope to continue advocating for the use of interpretation services for patients with limited English proficiency.
Mingchu (Jasmine) Deng
The Effect of Nurse-Patient Racial Concordance on Patient Satisfaction
Highest Honors
Advisor: Susana Barroso, PhD, RN
Why did you choose nursing?
I have always had a passion for healthcare and life sciences. Following the familial expectations and prestige about medicine, I originally planned to become a medical doctor. However, as I shadowed many doctors, I realized that they were often assessing numbers and images instead of the patients themselves. Then I discovered the power of nursing. Nurses stand at the frontline of patient care, closely monitoring for acute changes and implementing interventions accordingly. I want to be alongside my patients throughout their recovery process and act as their advocate as a nurse.
Moriah Fender
Community-Based Dementia Care Services in Appalachia: A Qualitative Study
Highest Honors
Advisor: Mark Toles, PhD, RN, FAAN
Why did you choose nursing?
“Give someone the shirt off your back,” was an adage I heard often growing up in Appalachia. It was the embodiment of a community truth, that helping one another is as inherent to Appalachian culture as the mountains themselves. With this value as my guiding principle, it wasn’t long before I found a home in medicine — passionate about providing compassionate healthcare for all people. After witnessing my grandmother’s experience with Alzheimer’s, I learned firsthand what equitable care should be and narrowed my focus to rural geriatric health. As such, nursing was the natural progression of turning passion into practice.
Nicole Fortin
Exploring the Benefits of Certified Nursing Assistant Work Experience as a Prerequisite for Nursing School: A Qualitative Study
Advisor: Krystal Pendergraft-Horne MSN, RN, FNP-C
Why did you choose nursing?
I have always been interested in healthcare as a career and have been a natural caregiver to my friends and my younger brother. I became a CNA during the COVID-19 pandemic and it only reaffirmed why I wanted to go into nursing. The nurses I worked with showed incredible resilience and overwhelming advocacy and empathy for their patients. They were there for people in the scariest and unfortunately last moments of their lives. I knew that I wanted to be like them one day and I’m proud to be joining this profession.
Teagan Guerra
The experiences and responses of parents and caregivers throughout childhood cancer treatment: An integrative review
Highest Honors
Advisor: Lisa Woodley, PHD, MSN, RN, CNE, CHPN
Why did you choose nursing?
I chose to go into nursing because I saw firsthand the profound impact nurses had on my own family. During my grandfather’s battle with cancer, I was able to see the importance and positive effect that patient and family-centered care has. I gained the utmost respect for nurses when I saw them care for my grandfather with both compassion and patience. I am grateful to have been able to be a part of this program, and excited for my future as an oncology nurse.
Aaron May
Moral Distress in the Critical Care Setting
Advisor: Cheryl B. Jones, RN, PhD, FAAN
Why did you choose nursing?
I chose to pursue nursing because I cannot imagine doing anything else. Nursing was the perfect combination of critical thinking, patient interaction, and making a difference. Additionally, as I kid, I watched my mom make a difference in others life as a nurse and knew I wanted to be like her and make such a significant impact on the community around me.
Mylynn Ngo
Interventions for Low Back Pain Among Critical Care Nurses
Advisor: Brandi Apple, PhD, RN, CNOR, CNE, Thesis Advisor
Why did you choose nursing?
Nursing is a profession that has always been close to my heart. Knowing that I may make a meaningful impact on people’s lives, whether it’s through providing care, comfort, or simply a listening ear, gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment that is hard to find in any other profession. It’s a rewarding feeling to know that I have made a positive impact on someone’s life, and it motivates me to continue to do my best as a nurse, now and in the future.
Whitney Noble
Exploring the Barriers and Facilitators to Enhancing Incentive Spirometer Use After Surgery: A Scoping Review
Advisor: Suja P. Davis PhD, RN
Why did you choose nursing?
To ask of “why I chose nursing?”, I believe that nursing chose me. I have felt a calling to help people through the nursing field of health care since my grandfather passed away from complications relating to cancer in 2004. I felt the need to help people who face illness with the hope that I could help in their recovery so they wouldn’t have to suffer as my loved one did. With this being my first experience with nursing, and from then I was drawn to care for others and pursue my education in nursing. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and to be a Carolina nurse!
Lucero Rocha-Dela Cruz
Assessing the Perceptions of Postpartum Education Among Spanish-Speaking Latinx Birthing Individuals
Highest Honors
Advisor: Natalia Villegas Rodriguez, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, FAAN
Why did you choose nursing?
For many years, nursing has been recognized as the most trusted profession by the public. Nursing is also one of the main professions with significant impact beyond the bedside. One of my main goals as a nurse is to uplift the Latinx community’s health concerns from the bedside to throughout the community. I wish to nurture relationships with my patients founded on trust and respect by becoming part of the new generation of diverse nurses. Now more than ever, we need nurses who reflect their patients and can empathize with the issues that certain communities disproportionately face.
Zoë Isabella Blue Tomczak
Emotional & Psychological Abuse Within the Adolescent Population
Advisor: Maureen Baker, PhD, CNL, CHSE
Why did you choose nursing?
From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. My desire to help others combined with my passion for science and medicine has led me to pursue a career in nursing. I believe that nursing is a unique profession, offering me the chance to make a positive impact on people’s lives daily. I am excited about the endless possibilities and opportunities nursing provides, from working in different specialties to advancing my education and knowledge. Nursing is the perfect career choice for me, as it aligns with my values of compassion, scientific inquiry, and lifelong learning.
Madelyn Yencho
Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Female Infertility: An Integrative Review
Advisor: Jennifer Alderman PhD, MSN, RN, CNL, CNE, CHSE
Why did you choose nursing?
To be a nurse means to selflessly advocate, protect, and serve patients. I chose to be a nurse because I was drawn to the relationship a nurse creates with their patients. As a nurse, you touch lives in ways you will never know every day when you go to work. I will be working in the NICU when I graduate, and I cannot wait to take care of infants and help them start their lives with their new families. It is an honor to be part of the hardest yet most joyful time of a family’s life.
Annie Zhang
Dismantling Delay in Care: Addressing Language Barriers at the Bedside with Communi-Cards
Advisor: Nancy Jo Thompson, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN
Why did you choose nursing?
The nature of nursing provides a uniquely intimate aspect of patient care, where we are able to see the direct impacts of our care contribute to the progressive journey of recovery for our patients. It is an honor to follow the patient, each step of the way, as they trust you to advocate and care for them in their most vulnerable times.
Sigma Theta Tau International Grant Recipients
Chiao-Hsin Teng, RN, MSN, PhD (C) — Fatigue and Recovery of Physical Function Following Stroke: Preliminary Results from a Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Study | View Poster
Jennifer Wynn, DNP, FNP-BC — Needs Assessment and Implementation of Health Screenings at Community Based Food Pantries: A Rural Health Initiative | View Poster
Elisabeth Bernhardt — Effects of Sex Steroid Manipulation on Irritability and the Neural Reward System in Women with a History of Perinatal Depression | View Poster