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Chuuk-born UOG nursing student receives scholarship
Standing from left to right, Dr. Annamma Varghese, James Finch, Dr. Robert Underwood, Dr. Anita Borja-Enriquez, Melanie Mendiola, and Jonathan Nguyen. Seated from left to right, Dr. Kathryn Wood, daughter of Geneffer Riagelig, Geneffer Riagelig, and Dr. Margaret Hattori-Uchima. (Contributed Photo)
MANGILAO, Guam—The Charles H. Parent Scholarship was awarded to student Geneffer Raigelig from the School of Nursing and Health Sciences of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the President’s Office at the University of Guam campus on Oct. 26.
Dr. Margaret Hattori-Uchima, Dr. Kathryn Wood, and James Finch from the Nursing Program were present to congratulate the recipient at the scholarship award ceremony.
Born in Chuuk, Raigelig will be the Nursing Program’s first student to have been born in another island in Micronesia and graduate with a generic BSN degree. She had attended UOG 15 years ago and returned to finally complete her education. Joining her at the presentation was her daughter and niece who both hope to attend UOG in the future.
“I left the program, and I thought I would never come back,” said Raigelig. “I will finish, I will graduate, and I will take the NCLEX exam.”
The difficult road to becoming a nurse includes difficult course work with high failure rate, intense clinical work, and the NCLEX, a national standardized exam nursing licensure.
“Pathophysiology is the hardest class in the nursing program, and she passed it, ” said Hattori-Uchima. “She is so intelligent when she does clinical, and she has a way with people. She really deserves this.”
The Charles H. Parent scholarship program is awarded primarily to encourage students from the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to pursue a university nursing education.
Raigelig hopes to work in public health, address the gap in health disparities in her community and help with the language barriers that exist.
“Dr. Parent really wanted to impact the healthcare demographic here,” said Woods. “He wanted Micronesian nurses to be able to take care of Micronesian patients.”
Parent, who passed away in 2007, had moved to Guam in 1976 and worked for many years at the Department of Public Health and Social Services while giving much to the local community.
“I went to thank the faculty for their neverending support,” Raigelig said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to stay in the program.” (UOG)
