Nurse I Am Winner 2017

Each year Cherokee Uniforms invites nursing students to enter for the chance to be awarded a scholarship to be applied towards their professional training and studies: The “A Nurse I Am” scholarship. This year’s prize was $2,000, and was awarded to Ms. Linda Hansoul Yoo, a nursing student at The University of Texas, Austin.
Scrubs: Hi, Linda, congratulations on being the winner; you were chosen out of more than 4,000 entries! What did this competition mean to you?

Ms. Yoo: I was once a patient. As a nursing student with Ulcerative Colitis, I understand the true meaning of compassion. For two years of active illness, I was empowered by a nurse practitioner to pursue my dreams to help others; she believed I could accomplish anything, even with my illness, unlike others who doubted my ability to attend college.

Scrubs: Was it this practitioner that inspires you to become a nurse?

Yes, because of her, I aspire to be a nurse who not only educates and cares about patients, but also supports patients to follow their dreams, work hard, and never stop believing.

Scrubs: What does it mean to you, to be a nurse?

Compassion is far more than care and love; it is standing up and advocating on behalf of patients. Now two years into remission, I am ready to give back to those who need my support. I strive to be the nurse who empowers even the smallest of patients, just as my nurse practitioner did four years ago.

Scrubs: An amazing story, certainly. What are some of your other accomplishments so far in your studies to becoming a nurse of which you are most proud?

Ms. Yoo: In May of last year as a BSN nursing student, I was chosen for the University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts Junior Fellows Program. The program recognizes students who have completed four semesters of coursework, who are also the best students across the campus. We are given the chance to participate in research with distinguished professors and independent study. I was also an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant in the Fall of 2015 and the Spring of 2016 at the University.

The University of Texas Austin School of Nursing is one of the leading schools in the nation. The Junior Fellows Program is administered by the College of Liberal Arts, but is open to undergraduates in all schools and colleges. As for the scholarship, with more than 4,000 entries vying for this year’s prize, the winner certainly had to make an impression on the judge’s panel with only 150 words. We congratulate Ms. Linda Hansoul Yoo once again on being the winner of the 2017 Cherokee Uniforms’ “A Nurse I Am” scholarship.

Sponsored by Cherokee Uniforms