FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Weaver, Melony Ritter
(501) 760.6410 office
press@np.edu
March 3, 2016
OAKLAWN FOUNDATION AWARDS SCHOLARSHIP TO NURSING STUDENT
Hot Springs, Arkansas – National Park College (NPC) nursing student, Dulce Olivia
Diaz was awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the Oaklawn Foundation for the spring semester. Diaz
is 22 years old and the oldest of five children. She immigrated to the United States
with her single mother as a small child. She is proud to be a first generation college
student. Though her mother only completed a sixth grade education, she motivated Diaz
to achieve her college degree. It is important to her that she set an example for
her younger siblings and honor the sacrifices her mother made so she could pursue
her dreams. Diaz has worked extremely hard to be successful in school while maintaining
a full-time job to help with expenses. Once she began nursing school, the workload
was too much and she had to reduce her work to part-time.
Diaz loves working with children. She teaches Bible school at her church. She said,
“When I was 10 years old, I decided that I wanted to be like the nurses that worked
at St. Jude Children’s Hospital. I want to be the smiling face that the child sees
every day. I want to comfort them and help ease the pain, celebrate recovery or comfort
during grieving.” She hopes to continue her education beyond NPC to complete her master’s
degree or Ph. D. She plans to specialize in pediatric oncology.
Photo 1: Left to right, Larry Stephens and Renee Lucy, Oaklawn Foundation Scholarship Committee; Tina Ennis, Nursing Faculty; Dulce Olivia Diaz, student; Kerry Lockwood Owen, Chairman of the Oaklawn Foundation Scholarship Committee; Madeline Bull, Oaklawn Foundation Scholarship Committee; Darrell Myers, Chairman of the Oaklawn Foundation.
Photo 2: Scholarship recipient, Dolce Olivia Diaz demonstrating tourniquet techniques to Oaklawn Foundation Scholarship Committee members.
