An Nguyen, DPT ’22, knows what it means to take a chance for a brighter future. “My parents told me that they risked their lives fleeing Vietnam at the end of the war and came to the U.S. as refugees...
Iman Mattox, ABSN ’18, MSN-CRNA ’23, was 10 years into a teaching career when he decided to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Although he had a 2.0 GPA in college and didn’t pass...
When Charae McConnell, OTD ’19, read that 84% of occupational therapists (OTs) are white, she knew it was more than an abstract statistic in her class textbook. As an African American, she’d seen the...
Shefali Parikh, MOT ’99, still recalls commiserating with classmates after their occupational therapy licensing exam 23 years ago. What worried her classmates most were the hundreds of dollars it cost...
In a photo on her Instagram feed, Guadalupe Vega-Tiistola stands in front of a brightly striped serape, a traditional cloak from Mexico, proudly wearing her new white lab coat that marks her induction...
Setting up a research table for several weeks at an East Los Angeles farmer’s market was unconventional for sure. But it turned out to be the perfect place for Associate Professor Adrienne Martinez...
At the age of 12, Florence Edwards, BSN ’22, was running errands for her mom. She crossed the street near her home in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, and headed to pick up a few items from a nearby shop...
When nursing Professor Paulina Van decided to establish a scholarship, it made sense to create one for Samuel Merritt University nursing students who plan to care for mothers and infants. For years...
It was finals week and Carter Todd, ABSN ’15, was taking a much-needed break from his late-night bartender job at Elephant Bar Restaurant in Sacramento’s Arden-Arcade neighborhood. He was relieved to...
When the pandemic shut down gyms and fitness studios, many people started walking more to stay fit and connect with friends and family, which was great—until their feet started hurting, says physician...
