SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

I was born and raised in the Philippines and received my Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree from University of St. La Salle, Philippines. I came to the United States as a psychiatric nurse at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, GA. I realized the value of further education and worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital while completing my master’s degree at the University of Maryland, School of Nursing. From Maryland, I was enticed to join New York-Presbyterian Hospital as a patient care director. Again, the opportunity for further education brought me to Pace University where I joined the first cohort of PhD students. I now serve as an adjunct instructor at Pace University. I feel grateful to finally pursue my passion, teaching nursing. I came from a family of educators. Both my parents were teachers. I grew up listening to them talk about the challenges and benefits of being a teacher and how teachers make a lasting impact in their students’ lives. I take great pride in being an immigrant and a foreign-graduate nurse and embrace the goal of advancing equitable access to higher education for women and racial minorities in fields where they are underrepresented. My research focuses on health literacy among psychiatric patients. The findings from this study will shed light on issues of communication among patients who struggle with language, mental and emotional issues. I plan to graduate with my PhD from Pace University, Lienhard School of Nursing in 2021. I am honored to be a Jonas Scholar.