National Park College (NPC) registered nursing (RN) students were recently awarded
full tuition and fees scholarships thanks to the generosity of Peter van den Heuvel
in honor of his late mother Marge van den Heuvel, daughter Frances Elizabeth Iverson,
and granddaughter Vivienne Rose Iverson.
Kristof Waltermire received the Frances Elizabeth Iverson Nursing Scholarship. He
is a first-year RN student who plans to pursue a specialty in pediatrics. He said
the scholarship alleviates stresses about the cost of tuition and will allow him to
focus more on being a father to his special-needs daughter.
Brittany Moore received the Marge van den Heuvel Nursing Scholarship. She is also
a first-year RN student and a mother of three young children. Moore is determined
to demonstrate the importance of education to her children through perseverance and
dedication.
Erin Oseguera received the Vivienne Rose Iverson Nursing Scholarship. She was not
only excited to be named but was honored to show her two teenage sons that when you
put your heart in something you will overcome the obstacles.
Van den Heuvel said he was inspired to give to nursing scholarships because of the
experiences his family had with the health care system. He, his mother, and his daughter
all experienced life altering events that resulted in lengthy hospital stays. It was
during these experiences he realized the nurses were the heart of the hospital. He
applauded the efforts of the entire hospital staff, including the doctors, but recognized
the nurses had the most patient interaction and provided critical encouragement and
support needed to help with recovery.
Van den Heuvel explained the impact education has had on his family. “I think for
both of us education is important. It has made all the difference in Frances’ life
and my life.” He noted how helpful financial aid was for him personally while attending
college in Fayetteville. “I had a teaching assistantship and a research fellowship.
It was nice to have the extra money to help me get through school because my parents
weren’t rich. We just wanted to help.”
Pictured left to right are Erin Oseguera, Kristof Waltermire, Brittany Moore, Peter
van den Heuvel, Vivienne Rose Iverson, and Frances Elizabeth Iverson.
