WVU School of Nursing establishes ambassador scholarship program
Pictured from left: Kylie Dick, Aiden Slusser and Ateria Walker, who were selected to serve as 2022-23 WVU School of Nursing Ambassadors.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University School of Nursing has recently established an ambassador scholarship program on its Morgantown Campus.
Led by recruitment specialist Phillip Engelkemier, the ambassador program offers a scholarship to selected students, who will serve as representatives for the school during on-campus tours, events and more.
“As I have worked with prospective nursing students, I have noticed how much they value the knowledge and experience our current nursing students possess,” Engelkemier said. “Therefore, we started the ambassador program to provide selected students with an annual scholarship to offer that knowledge and experience to prospective students."
For the 2022-23 academic year, three ambassadors have been selected, including senior Ateria Walker, junior Aiden Slusser and sophomore Kylie Dick.
Ateria Walker, of Wheeling, said she applied to the ambassador program to share her perspective as a nursing student, especially as a senior.
“Throughout the program, students may face different difficulties or struggles because it is challenging; however, the experience and knowledge you learn from this program is worth it,” Walker said. “I wanted to be able to give insight to the student body and prospective student population on my experiences and tips I have learned that helped me have a good nursing school experience.”
For Walker, nursing is a career that will help her make a difference and an impact in people’s lives.
“I was always attracted to the healthcare field, and I did more research about the different careers within this field until I found nursing,” Walker said. “I love the numerous areas of emphasis that nursing has to offer.”
She said she looks forward to communicating with patients and their families both in times of sorrow and in times of triumph.
“Nurses provide 24/7 care, and sometimes, they are all the family that patient has at that time. I realized that nursing would allow me to provide comfort and care to those in their time of need and decided that nursing was the best fit for me.”
Slusser, of Fairmont, said he applied to the ambassador program because of the benefit he saw from speaking to upper-level nursing students himself.
“Now in this position, I want to be that person who the younger students and new potential WVU School of Nursing students can talk to and connect with to feel more confident in what to expect entering nursing school,” Slusser said.
He said he chose nursing as his profession because he wants to positively impact people when they need it most.
“Even if the patient doesn’t remember my name, I want them to remember me as the nurse who treated them with kindness and gave them the upmost respect,” Slusser said.
He said even on the most challenging days of his curriculum, he pushes forward knowing he can provide positive patient experiences.
Dick, of Bowie, Maryland, said she applied to the ambassador program because she is passionate about the nursing program at WVU.
“When I was applying to schools, the program at WVU stood out,” Dick said. “I want to share my experience with others and bring more students who are passionate about nursing to WVU.”
She said she has always been interested in healthcare, but an anatomy course in high school really steered her toward nursing as a profession.
“I learned more about nursing and realized it was the perfect fit for me.”
For more information about the ambassador program, visit nursing.wvu.edu/students/resources/son-ambassador-program.