‘A key role in the health of the city’: Community College of Philadelphia celebrates its nursing scholars

A grieving daughter of immigrants, a single mother of four, a Philadelphia native with aspirations for higher education: All three sought careers in nursing as a way to change their lives and the lives of others.

They are among 50 nursing students at the Community College of Philadelphia who received scholarships intended to support aspiring nurses from racial groups underrepresented in medicine, who often face more barriers to enrolling in and completing nursing school.

Ten of the students are participating in the Independence Blue Cross Foundation health-care scholar program, which pays the school tuition of local high school graduates who enroll in area nursing programs.

An additional 42 students received scholarships from Achieving the Dream, a national nonprofit working to support community college students. As part of the program students get a small stipend, plus tutoring, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

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At a Thursday event honoring the scholarship recipients, each read a personal statement about why they wanted to pursue nursing.

“Both my dad and my mom immigrated to the United States to give my sister and me a better life,” said Amelia Hernandez, whose father died a month before she took the nursing program entrance exam.

She was grieving and overwhelmed, and thought about giving up. Instead, she resolved to become the first in her family to graduate from college.

“I strive to work hard for my parents to see the fruits of their labor,” she said.

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Antoinette Parnell is a single mother of four who has been working as a certified nursing assistant in nursing homes. Now she wants to become a registered nurse, and eventually own her own nursing home.

“I fell in love with the older generation,” Parnell said.

Kayla Hayes, a Philadelphia native, has younger siblings who she helps support. After completing her associate’s degree in nursing at the Community College of Philadelphia, she hopes to continue her studies by pursuing a bachelor’s and maybe a master’s.

“I hope to get a lot of clinical experience and work in the city,” Hayes said.

Both scholarship programs focus on awards for students of color, first-generation students, and those from other underrepresented backgrounds.

Only 7% of registered nurses in the United States are Black, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, while 14% of the population identifies as Black. Men account for less than 10% of the RN workforce.

“People want to be cared for by people who understand them,” said Laureen Tavolaro-Ryley, a professor of nursing at the community college who oversees the Achieving the Dream scholarship.

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Nursing graduates from the Community College of Philadelphia tend to stay in the area, Tavolaro-Ryley said. The school has graduated more than 5,500 nurses over the last 50 years.

At Thursday’s event, Vishal Shah, the dean of math, science and health careers, told the scholarship recipients he hopes they will continue the school’s tradition of staying in the area when they seek jobs.

“You all will play a key role in the health of the city,” Shah said.