Previous Scholarship winners

Felipe Santoyo-Cuellar, BSN, RN, PCCN, CVRN-BC

Born in a small farming village in Guanajuato, Mexico- I later immigrated to the US with my family at a young age. I completed all of my education in Arizona, including my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northern Arizona University in 2016. I currently work at HonorHealth as

a Nursing Supervisor for their telemetry unit as well as Mayo Clinic Hospital as a per diem Registered Nurse on their cardiovascular/transplant progressive care unit. I am also completing a bridge program for my Master of Science in Nursing & Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Arizona/A.T. Still University with an emphasize in Clinical Systems Leadership and Practice Management. I hold certification as a progressive care nurse (PCCN) through the

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and board certified cardiovascular nurse (CVRN- BC) through the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine. I have been an active member of NAHN since 2017 and have served among the Board of Directors as Scholarship & Awards Chair

and Education Chair. I hope to inspire more members of the Hispanic & immigrant communities to continue to pursue their. passion and education... Si se puede!

Jasmin Aldana,  Graduate RN

My name is Jasmine Aldana and I am a first-generation, recent college graduate. I had the privilege to be a part of the Bilingual Nursing Fellowship Program through Phoenix College. I will graduate in December 2020 with a bachelor’s in nursing from Arizona State University. As I start my career as a new graduate nurse, my hope is to continue to give back to the Latino community and help bridge the gap of disparities our community faces. As a daughter who grew up in a single parent household, I know at first-hand how discouraging pursing a degree can be and how troubling it can be to identify whether our Latin roots fit into a career such as nursing.

Since becoming a part of NAHN, I have reaped the many benefits of having a mentor during and. after nursing school. As I continue my education and kick start my nursing career, it is my hope to help with mentoring students who come from underserved backgrounds and encourage them to purses a higher degree and education. In addition, my hope is to one day become a board member with the organization that has created a motivating and safe space with a “familisimo” upbringing. I want to thank NAHN for the endless opportunities and the privilege of being a 2020 scholarship recipient.

Hello my name is Karen Garcia and I am a registered nurse in the med-surg burn departed at the Arizona Burn Center located at Valleywise Health. I currently serve as the membership chair for the National Association of Hispanic Nurse’s Phoenix chapter. I recently graduated from the BNFP program at Gateway and now I am Pershing my bachelors in nursing at Aspen university.  I am a daca recipient who is passionate about giving back to the underserved and underinsured.   I had the honor of advocating for daca this year as I participated in many interviews and I got to put a spotlight on the wonderful ways that daca recipients contribute to society.  I spend my free time volunteering for NAHN in Membership and community outreach events.  This scholarship will help me achieve my dreams and continue my education.  

Cassandra Perez

My name is Cassandra Perez and I was born and raised in Yuma, Az. I attended the University of Arizona where I majored in business and finance. After college I moved to Phoenix and worked in finance for about 5 years and felt unfulfilled. This is when I decided to go back to school to pursue Nursing. While working full time I attended night and weekend courses to complete my prerequisites. During the 2-year waitlist to get into a nursing program, I obtained my CNA and became a phlebotomist so I could work in a hospital setting for the experience. I was accepted into the accelerated program at Gateway Community College where I am also the Student Nurse Association Secretary. I am now in my final block of nursing school and could not be more excited to be this much closer to my goals. I am simultaneously in the CEP bridge program and taking courses to complete my BSN.

With any spare time I do have, I enjoy spending time outdoors, hiking, camping, fishing, and trail running. My family is all back in Yuma so from time to time I enjoy going home to visit.

Life has been extremely busy lately, but I am beyond blessed to have the support of my family and the. NAHN organization. I can finally see that light at the end of a long tunnel.