Three USF Nursing Students Receive Florida Nurse Foundation (FNF) Scholarships

Three students from University of South Florida College of Nursing received 2012 Florida Nurses Foundation (FNF) scholarship grant awards. Those students include graduate student, Michelle Cook BSN, RN, CPHON, and undergraduate students, Curtis Andrews and Vilma I. Rodriguez. They received 3 out of 27 scholarships and five grants that FNF awarded to students throughout the state of Florida.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized for my accomplishments, and I am very thankful to FNF for their generosity, support, and belief in my ability to contribute to a profession that is so highly respected and recognized,” Andrews said.

USF Nursing student, Curtis Andrews

Andrews received the Florida Nurses Foundation District 4 Florida Nurses Scholarship worth $500. Andrews, who expects to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in August 2013, is using the grant to advance his education. “I hope to continue my education into graduate school, and in the long term working towards a PhD,” Andrews said.

Cook, who is working towards her master’s degree at USF College of Nursing and is an Education Specialist for the Clinical Education and Research Department at All Children’s Hospital, received the 2012 Florida Nurses Foundation Mary York Scholarship, also a $500 grant.

“I am honored and thrilled to have been chosen the recipient of the Florida Nurses Foundation Mary York Scholarship,” Cook said. “The money from this scholarship will go towards my education, which will only serve to strengthen my role as a nurse and educator.  I am grateful to the Florida Nurses Foundation for this opportunity, as they continue to promote nursing through the advancement of education.”

Cook plans to use the grant towards her tuition fees to continue her master’s degree and expects to graduate in December 2013.

Rodriguez received the Florida Nurses Foundation District 20 Evelyn Baxter Memorial Fund Scholarship. This $500 scholarship is given to nursing students who live in Manatee County.

“When I received notice that I was chosen as a recipient for this scholarship, I was thrilled,” Rodriguez said. “This scholarship will allow me to continue to focus on my studies, and it reduces my financial obligation, which at times can be overwhelming. This award gives me hope and encourages me to continue to pursue my educational goals. Without the generosity of these donors, I honestly do not know if I would be able to achieve higher education.”

Rodriguez is currently a part-time legal assistant at Leach-Pachinger Law & Mediations Law Firm in Sarasota and plans to graduate in August 3013.

The Florida Nurses Foundation, created in 1983, is part of the Florida Nurses Association (FNA). FNA helps promote nursing and delivery of healthcare through the advancement of research, education and practice. Each year, the organization provides funds to registered nurses and students for scholarships and research grants, according to the FNA’s website.