Scholarship recipient Rachel Patterson is in her senior year of the nursing program at Illinois State University. Originally from Waterloo, she is also working towards a minor in Spanish.
Patterson is one of fourteen undergraduate students selected as Robert G. Bone Scholars for the 2023-2024 school year. The Bone Scholarship is the highest university-wide honor given to undergraduate students. She is also a recipient of the Mennonite Nursing Alumni Organization Student Transcultural Scholarship.
One of the highlights of Patterson’s ISU career involves having the opportunity to study abroad in Avila, Spain, and Panama.
“In Spain, I lived with a host mom during the week and traveled to different parts of Spain throughout the weekend. This experience allowed me to appreciate cultural differences and to create a second home miles away from my home,” shared Patterson.
Through the Transcultural Nursing Program, Patterson travelled to Panama. She was able to further recognize and appreciate cultural differences in health care values and beliefs to improve patient outcomes.
Beyond her coursework, Patterson stays busy as the President of Student Nurses’ Association and member of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society.
Patterson also works as a nurse extern in the emergency department. “I have been so thankful to have the opportunity to continue to gain experience in the fast-paced setting of the emergency department while also gaining critical thinking skills and hands-on skills such as starting IVs and dropping NG tubes,” shared Patterson
Patterson is an avid fan of Noah Kahan and outside of her nursing responsibilities she actively listens to “Maine” while jogging down the constitution trail and sipping on yummy coffee.
Although majoring in nursing can be difficult at times due to the busy and draining schedule, Patterson shared it is an honor to say she is a nursing student at Illinois State.
“Nursing is an extremely honorable role, and I am so thankful for donors who help me continue my education,” said Patterson. “Donor support has truly allowed me to take concepts from outside of the classroom and apply it to real-life situations through experiences like the Transcultural Nursing Program. I honestly don’t know how to express how thankful I am and hope one day I am able to pay it forward. Thank you.”
