SMU Students Presenting Diversity Mentorship Program at Clinton Global Initiative University

Three Samuel Merritt University (SMU) students, who want to start a mentorship program to help ethnically diverse undergraduates with limited resources succeed as healthcare professionals, will share their proposal at the prestigious Clinton Global Initiative University.

Carmen Craven, Nga Dwork, and Shante Myers are among 1,000 students from 80 countries chosen to attend the event at UC Berkeley in April.

President Bill Clinton launched the annual conference in 2007, modeled after his successful Clinton Global Initiative, to inspire college students “to develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.” Applicants create “Commitments to Action” that address issues on campus, in local communities, or around the world.”

Craven, Dwork, and Myers — graduate nursing students on SMU’s Sacramento Campus — won admission to the Clinton Global Initiative University for their plan to address the shortage of culturally diverse healthcare professionals and decrease the readiness gap that exists for lower-income students.  

A more diverse healthcare workforce, Craven said, will help reduce health disparities for all communities in the long run.

“We came from different backgrounds, but have similar goals in diversifying the health care system,” said Craven (pictured at right) a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) student who is Peruvian and Japanese and grew up in the Bay Area. “We knew as nurses we wanted to reach out, and work with people who don’t have the access to resources, or help them through their academic struggles. Coming from those backgrounds, it isn’t the easiest road to take to becoming a nurse and getting through college.”

The idea for the initiative was sparked by a story Dwork read last year that showed SMU’s 2015 enrollment figures had reached 17 percent Latino and Latina students – a high-water mark that signaled progress toward the University’s goal to diversify its student body.

“That was when I thought, ‘I wish I had a (mentoring) program that assisted me to get where I am today, but faster,’” said Dwork (pictured at right), who is Vietnamese and returned to school to become an FNP. “I am 33 years old and have been in school on and off for over 15 years – that is a long time.” 

The selected mentors will help inspire the college students to become adequately prepared for the rigors of a healthcare profession through guidance, academic support, and networking, Myers said.

Myers, who is African American and studying in the Case Management program, also created the name for the budding non-profit: BRIDGE — Building Relationships In Diverse Groups Equally. 

“We would like to see more minority professionals and culturally sensitive professionals in healthcare,” Myers (pictured at right) said. “I think a lot of time students of color are intimidated to pursue education in healthcare because it’s expensive, or they feel they can’t because there’s no one like them in the profession, or they don’t know anyone in their community who’s a nurse or a doctor.”

“But,” Myers added, “we are hoping to change that. We believe that by diversifying providers we can increase those communities’ feelings of trust toward healthcare systems.”  

The three students were in the early stages of discussing the new venture when they learned the Clinton Global Initiative University was accepting applications and the international event would be held in the Bay Area.

The three-day event will allow the SMU students to network, find seed money, and learn from others who have started similar endeavors.

Dwork sees the BRIDGE project as an immediate opportunity to change healthcare.

“Having a diversified group of healthcare professionals will increase cultural competence and decrease health disparities among minorities,” she said. “We hope this program will open doors and create opportunities for minority populations. Our vision is to see a BRIDGE program at every university and to expand it to high school and middle school students.”