Thank you to all scholarship applicants who submitted their essays and took their time to apply. Find out more about our selected scholarship winners below.
Bio: Hope is a registered nurse currently working in the intensive care unit, with a strong foundation in both acute and mental care. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from AdventHealth University in 2024, where she was honored as the Most Caring Student Nurse, an award selected by faculty at graduation. Prior to this, she completed her Associate of Arts degree in Psychology at South Florida State College in 2019. As a first-generation college student, her educational journey has been shaped by persistence, self-direction, and a deep commitment to growth.
She began her nursing career as a surgical gynecology oncology nurse, completing both her
practicum and residency in this specialty. As she transitioned into independent practice, she moved to
a cardiovascular progressive care unit and frequently floated across multiple units to expand her
clinical experience. She now practices in the ICU, continuing to build on this diverse, high-acuity
background.
Originally from Florida and now based in Tennessee, she recently relocated to further my education and professional development. She has applied and interviewed at Southern Adventist University for the Doctor of Nursing Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, with plans to pursue a dual emphasis in an additional specialty.
Outside of nursing, she is a poet at heart—someone who notices, reflects, and gives language to things that are often left unspoken. She finds peace paddle boarding on open water, drawn to spaces that feel both grounding and expansive, and she’s a proud dog mom who values the quiet, steady kind of companionship that doesn’t need words.
Her experiences—both within healthcare and beyond it—have given her a deeper understanding of the complexity of mental health, shaping not only how she cares for others, but how she listens, advocates, and shows up in difficult spaces.
She doesn’t just want to provide care—she wants to redefine what compassionate care looks like, to be someone who makes others feel understood in a system that often falls short—the kind of care she once needed, and the kind she knows others are still searching for.
Reaction Statement: “There are moments when something arrives at exactly the right time—and this feels like one of them. Receiving the Second Chance Foundation Scholarship is more than an honor; it feels like a quiet affirmation that I am moving in the right direction, even on the days when the path has felt uncertain or hard-won. As a first-generation student and a nurse continuing to grow into the next chapter of my education, this support comes at a time when I am actively stepping forward into what I’ve been working toward. What this scholarship represents to me goes beyond financial relief. It is encouragement—to keep going, to keep learning, and to keep choosing a path rooted in compassion, even when it is not the easiest one to walk. I carry both my professional experiences and my personal understanding of what it means to navigate difficult spaces, and I intend to use both to show up fully for the people I care for. This scholarship reminds me that there is value in that perspective—that the way I see, listen, and connect matters. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity, and I will carry it with me as I continue forward—becoming not only a better clinician, but the kind of presence I once needed, and the kind I hope others will find when they need it most.”
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