For the past four years, the Board of Trustees of Goddard House has had the pleasure of funding scholarships for UMass Boston nursing students. Candidates for the Goddard House Doane Scholarships must have worked in the City of Boston for at least ten years as a C.N.A., L.P.N. or R.N. Students are recruited and screened for the scholarships by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Funding for the scholarships, and the specific eligibility requirements, were established by an 1851 bequest to Goddard House.
Each year, Goddard House hosts a reception to give the scholarship recipients, UMass Boston faculty, Goddard House Board members and CEO, and our Associates, the opportunity to meet each other. Students share their stories, courses of study, and what it means to receive a Goddard House Doane Scholarship. This year the scholarship recipients were honored to meet James Doane and his wife, Elizabeth Perry, from the Doane Family Association.
Meeting the 2018-2019 scholars and learning about their scholastic journeys – juggling family, full time jobs and academic studies – was truly inspiring. Each student shared how important the scholarship has been to the continuation of their individual professional aspirations. Their current careers are impressive; their hopes for professional growth and future impact are remarkable.
One recipient, Kim, will complete her Doctorate in Nursing Practice in 2021. Clearly passionate about nursing, Kim hopes to be a leader in her field. Growing up in a single parent household and being the first in her family to attend college, Kim shared that she has incurred substantial student loan debt over time. She appreciates the assistance the Goddard House Doane Scholarship brings in helping to offset the cost of her degree and the opportunity it affords her to continue her studies.
Much to the surprise of all, Kim told the gathering that years ago she worked at the Goddard House Skilled Nursing Center in Jamaica Plain! She described feeling as though she had come “full circle.” Kim hopes to continue caring for vulnerable populations after she obtains her DNP degree. We have no doubt that Kim will be a leader in the nursing profession.
We are honored to be a part Kim’s journey, and of all of the other scholarship winners, as they strive to achieve the highest level of excellence in their fields. Congratulations to all!