Students at California State University, Fresno have proved their commitment to community involvement and service to others through hours of volunteer work. For nursing student Anna Campbell, being called to serve others is something she sees as an honor and a responsibility that she takes very seriously.

As a mother and wife returning to school to get her nursing degree, Campbell was one of 10 students to receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program.

After receiving the scholarship, Campbell entered into the national “I Believe This About Nursing” essay contest organized by the foundation. The contest encourages nursing students to share their experiences to help motivate others to follow in their footsteps.

Campbell’s submission centered on her decision to enter the nursing program at Fresno State while caring for her toddler and her 100-year old great-grandmother, who suffered repeated bouts of pneumonia and infections. She says that challenging but rewarding experience inspired her to become a professional nurse.

“I entered the contest as a way to say thank you to the foundation after they generously donated to the Fresno State nursing program and to share why nursing is such an important career,” Campbell said.

Campbell’s essay was chosen as the May winner and displayed on the Foundation Web site.

The New Careers in Nursing program provides the means for people who have earned a baccalaureate or graduate degree in a discipline other than nursing to get into an accelerated curriculum leading to a career as a registered nurse. Most federal financial air programs will not support students who want to become nurses but already have degrees.

Addressing this issue is designed to help reduce the nation’s nursing shortage as quickly as practical.

Related links:

Anna Campbell’s essay

Fresno State’s grant award

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program