HomeCare.com Nursing Scholarship Winners

By ShiftMed Team//Nursing Profession

In May of this year, ShiftMed, LLC and HomeCare.com, the sister on-demand staffing platforms addressing health care worker shortages nationwide, partnered with the Nurses Against Racism coalition and announced the HomeCare.com Nursing Scholarship. The scholarship provides equitable opportunities for prospective Black nurses to excel in their studies. All prospective nursing majors, CNAs, LPNs, or RNs were eligible to apply for this scholarship. 

There couldn’t be a greater need for this support as according to EducationData.org, 51% of Black students use student loans to fund their education and 32% of them borrow $40,000-$59,999 cumulatively. Likewise, Black nurses currently represent only 10% of the nurses in the US. 

We couldn’t be more excited to announce the four winners of the scholarship;  

  • Destiny Ashley – New York, New York 

  • Kamoy Beagle – New York, New York 

  • Salematou Diallo – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

  • Rayin Jordan – Fremont, Ohio 

All awardees were drawn to nursing because of a personal experience with family. For example, Salematou was inspired by nurses who helped her older sister. “Growing up I was always surrounded by nurses because my older sister had a congenital heart defect. I would always see the way that those nurses would help out my sister and how they went above and beyond. This inspired me to want to follow in their footsteps so that I could help others.” 

Additionally, the pandemic was a large factor in the many of the awardees’ decision to pursue nursing. Kamoy wrote “During this pandemic, I realized my call to nursing and I have built a natural love for the health field and nursing in general.” 

Nurses dedicate their lives to public service and providing for local communities through their practice, but unfortunately, many prospective nurses don’t have the opportunity to graduate with a degree debt-free, particularly nurses of color. 

Rayin wrote “I want to be able to help people battle and win their fights against impossible odds. Most importantly, I would like to be able to change lives and be the difference I want to see in this world, one person at a time.” 

Destiny stated “By going to Pace University, and pursuing a career in Nursing, I hope that one day I will be able to help other black women receive the optimum and empathetic medical care that we truly deserve.” 

Congratulations to the awardees! We are excited to see how you change the world.