A Family First
As a high school volunteer, Alisha Virani saw what nurses could do for seniors in assisted living.
Alisha Virani, BSN Program
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Reaching a Milestone: Scholarships: Faculty Research: Service-Learning: |
By the time Alisha Virani 10OX 12N graduated from high school, she’d already earned a reputation—a good one.
“I’m big on community service and got the community service award in high school,” Virani says. She was president of the Beta Club, volunteered for her religious community, and interned with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. But the highlight of her service was visiting an assisted living facility for seniors twice a month. “That was my favorite place to volunteer,” she says. “I really enjoyed working with that population.”
While other students might chafe at an elder’s advice, Virani found those moments meaningful. “The older patients are always the ones to ask about my life, how I got into nursing, my family life, my love life—and they definitely give their input,” she says. “I really don’t mind getting their advice—they have the most knowledge of life. And they always give good advice. They’ve never failed me yet.”
Working with senior citizens allowed Virani to see nurses in action—helping patients far beyond what she was able to do as a volunteer. “It was encouraging to see them do so much for their patients,” she says. “There were so many opportunities and so many different types of nurses.” Going into nursing seemed like an obvious career choice—how better to keep helping out?
But how to pay for nursing school wasn’t as obvious. Virani is the first person in her family to attend college. Her mom was forced to quit school in the 5th grade in India, and both of her parents were determined their daughter would achieve more. “Part of the reason for coming to America and working so hard was so I could go to college and go as far as I want or can,” she says.
To the family’s surprise, Virani was awarded a scholarship package through the Coca-Cola Emory Advantage program, which offers need-based grants and loan caps to reduce education debt for families with a limited amount of income. The program gives special preference to students like Virani who are the first in their immediate families to go to college.
“If we were paying tuition out of pocket, that’s more pressure for me,” says Virani. “Because of the scholarship, I am more encouraged to further my schooling.”
Her sights now are set on tackling another family first. “I definitely want to get a master’s degree,” she says. Right now, she is leaning toward becoming a nurse anesthetist or a geriatric nurse practitioner.—Dana Goldman
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Virani is a first-generation American and the first person in her family to attend college. ”Part of coming to America and part of working so hard were so I could go to college and go as far as I want or can.” |
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