SXU Nursing Students Receive Blue Island Foundation Scholarships
Three Saint Xavier University (SXU) students from the School of Nursing and Health Sciences have been collectively awarded $10,000 in scholarships from the Blue Island Community Healthcare Foundation for the 2018-2019 academic year. The students are Ricardo Ramos, Lyannie Nieves and Jaclyn Reimer.
Ricardo Ramos is a junior nursing major from Blue Island. A graduate from Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, Ramos is currently a full-time employee as a registered nurse at Smith Senior while working toward his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. His career plans are to work in an intensive care unit following graduation before return to school to ultimately become a nurse practitioner.
Lyannie Nieves is a freshman nursing major also from Blue Island, Illinois and Dwight D. Eisenhower High School. While working toward her BSN, she has also served at Saint Xavier as a student desk officer. After graduation, she plans to continue on her academic journey and attend medical school.
Jaclyn Reimer is a senior nursing major from Alsip who works as a nursing aid at Christ Hospital. While at SXU, Reimer has served as a board member for SXU's Student Nurse Association, volunteered for blood drives and the annual Cougar 5k and organized making blankets for Ronald McDonald House. After graduation, Reimer plans to work toward becoming a pediatric nurse.
Founded in the 1970s as a supporting organization for St. Francis Hospital, the Blue Island Community Healthcare Foundation continues the legacy started by St. Francis Hospital, which has operated as a nonprofit in Blue Island, Ill., for over a century. The organization now funds various charitable groups that serve the area in providing such services as health screenings; programs for disabled children and adults; assistance for those with mental illness and addiction; and nursing education.
2017-2018 scholarship recipient Monica Bova shares, "I would really like the Blue Island Community Healthcare Foundation to know how much I truly appreciated receiving this scholarship. I am a first-generation college student and lifting any bit of financial burden is such a great weight off my family and myself."