Sarah
Wall
May 2016
Sarah
Wall
University of California, Los Angeles UCLA School of Nursing
Los Angeles
,
CA
United States
Sarah Wall followed a roundabout path to nursing and is proof that it is never too late to learn or to go back to school. She was born in Nigeria and immigrated to London with her family as a small child. Sarah met and married a surfer from LA and after marriage and giving birth to her daughter, she moved to Los Angeles where she has become a permanent resident. Curious about how "children work" she started taking science classes at Santa Monica College and then volunteering at Santa Monica Hospital. It was there she witnessed firsthand the work of nurses and decided to return to school to become one. She transferred from Santa Monica to UCLA in 2013 and will graduate summa cum laude in June.
Her nominator shared:
While older than her peers, Sarah has a youthful excitement for nursing. At our clinical site, she eagerly volunteered for experiences to educate herself to the needs of the children and families. Whether it was listening to the group of adults discuss their struggles with managing their chronic diseases and their efforts to change behavior, working with the adults as they struggled to learn a new language, or running around the playground with preschoolers and school age children, Sarah displayed the maturity and passion for the population served. She was an active, patient, and warm participant yet knew when to hold back and observe. Her clinical logs were exceptional as well, as Sarah shared the many new connections she was making with the population-based focus of public health nursing in a community based organization. She was always early and prepared for clinical, ready to contribute. The students do a group project and clearly Sarah took the process seriously, enlisting the assistance of her 12-year old daughter to give her honest opinions about the proposed activities then sharing with the group that while their original plans sounded good, there were issues that the group needed to consider to make their station successful for the age group. The final product was enhanced by Sarah 's creative efforts above and beyond the classroom.
Her nominator shared:
While older than her peers, Sarah has a youthful excitement for nursing. At our clinical site, she eagerly volunteered for experiences to educate herself to the needs of the children and families. Whether it was listening to the group of adults discuss their struggles with managing their chronic diseases and their efforts to change behavior, working with the adults as they struggled to learn a new language, or running around the playground with preschoolers and school age children, Sarah displayed the maturity and passion for the population served. She was an active, patient, and warm participant yet knew when to hold back and observe. Her clinical logs were exceptional as well, as Sarah shared the many new connections she was making with the population-based focus of public health nursing in a community based organization. She was always early and prepared for clinical, ready to contribute. The students do a group project and clearly Sarah took the process seriously, enlisting the assistance of her 12-year old daughter to give her honest opinions about the proposed activities then sharing with the group that while their original plans sounded good, there were issues that the group needed to consider to make their station successful for the age group. The final product was enhanced by Sarah 's creative efforts above and beyond the classroom.