TODAY news - July 24, 2003 - School of Medicine news

Thursday, July 24, 2003 TODAY

School of Nursing news

LLUSN hosts Operation Jessica affirmation, reunion party

Bernadine Irwin, PhD, RN, associate professor of nursing, School of Nursing, reconnects with a participant in the Operation Jessica program.

Several graduates from the Operation Jessica program were able to take part in a vespers program sponsored by the School of Nursing held May 23 in West Hall.

The affirmation and reunion party helped to reconnect the Operation Jessica youth with their special retreat mentors, who are School of Nursing students.

Bernadine Irwin, PhD, RN, associate professor of nursing, School of Nursing, thinks that the affirmation and reunion parties are an important extension of the Operation Jessica retreats.

"I feel that it's an awesome privilege to celebrate the ongoing healing of these wounded teens," says Dr. Irwin.

More than 90 at-risk youth have successfully graduated from the Operation Jessica program, including teen moms and dads, probation teens, and gang kids.

Though many of the teens no longer live in the area, 26 graduates were able to participate in the affirmation party.

Fourteen senior nursing students and one pediatric resident were also on hand to reconnect with the youth and play games and sing songs.

School of Nursing student Grace Lee presents an interpretive dance for the youth participants of Operation Jessica.

For the final game of the evening, Dr. Irwin had the group stand in a circle and play the happy hippo game—a game where one person in the circle throws a hippo-shaped toy to someone else and says something positive about that person.

"The purpose of the party was to further nurture and affirm the healing journey and spiritual transformation of the teens that learned at Operation Jessica that their present doesn't need to be determined by their past, and their futures can be the stuff of their dreams," states Dr. Irwin.

Dr. Irwin has been involved with troubled youth for some time now.

While leading groups at the Youth Justice Center in San Bernardino, Dr. Irwin became acquainted with 14-year-old Jessica Salazar. Jessica soon became a friend of Dr. Irwin's.

However, on a Friday night, February 11, 2000, Jessica was kidnapped and murdered by several alleged gang members.

Based on this tragedy, Dr. Irwin wrote a book, For the Love of Jessica: the story of gang kids guided from tragedy to triumph (Millennia Publishing Company). The book documents the changes that troubled youth went through as she offered transformational programs to the youth at the center.

The Operation Jessica program is designed to be a transformational, spiritual experience within the framework of nature for at-risk youth. The program, named in memory of Jessica Salazar, invites disturbed teens to nature retreats where they can be free from the constraints of the past and empowered to move above and beyond as they develop new possibilities for themselves.

The kids are able to mountain bike, go-kart race, hike along the many nature trails, and run through a low and high ropes challenge course.

The retreats include several outdoor events, plus family sessions, "Above and Beyond" sessions, and praise singing.

"Above and Beyond" sessions deal with the topics of "victim/survivor," "dangerous coping" (i.e. drugs, violence, sex, etc.), "healing of wounds," "personal possibilities," and "freedom to be."

Family sessions usually involve arts and crafts, social interaction, and personal sharing.

The program has grown considerably since the first Operation Jessica retreat.

In fact, following a recent retreat, Dr. Irwin began to wonder about a follow-up program for the retreat to somehow reconnect with the youth once they have completed the Operation Jessica program. It was then that the affirmation and reunion parties were born.

The Operation Jessica retreats are now held every quarter as part of a senior level class "Psych-Mental Health Nursing II."

[Top] [email this page]

School of Nursing holds annual awards chapel

More than one hundred awards were presented to School of Nursing students during the School of Nursing awards celebration held May 21 in the University chapel.

The awards were presented by Jeff Leeper, CPA, assistant dean of finance, School of Nursing, and Marilyn Herrmann, PhD, RN, associate dean of the undergraduate program, School of Nursing.

The following students received awards:

Alumni Merit Scholarship ($1,500)

Stephanie Simon

Angel of Care Award ($1,000)

Richard Cho

Beaver Medical ($500)

Patricia Macalinao

Catherine Christiansen Scholarship ($2,500)

Michael Gardner, Innocent Musaza, Susanna Norris, Madeleine Nyrabikali, Melanie Azaula, Kimberly Bock, and Susanna Norris

Dean's Scholarship ($2,500/$3,000)

Stephanie Barr, Kevin Burman, Brenda Jerez, Lauren-Shylene Luna, Omotayo Ogungbe, Megan Thomas, Kymberly Dexter, Anthony Frazier, Zorica Protic, and Matthew Shafer

Ethel Warren Halpenny Scholarship ($1,500)

Davika Reid, May Wong, and Erenly Silva

Kaiser Permanente ($1000–$2,500)

Craig Bateman, Yvette Dial, Brenda Jerez, and Timothy Marshall

Marjorie Anderson Jesse Scholarship ($3,000)

Marissa Hansen, Lindsey Venden, and Megan Thomas

Lucille Lewis Award ($2,500)

Stephanie Barr, Tiffany Caseldine, Karla Garcia, megan Thomas, Rachel Metzger, and Christine Romero

Myrtle Nelson Scholarship ($2,500)

Cheyanne Burns

Ruth Officer Scholarship ($500)

Rosemarie Laboyos

Outstanding RN/BS Award ($250)

Terry Larsen

Lena T. Pond ($500 to $2,555)

Charles Aprecio, Jessica Berg, Stephanie Contreras, Deliah Dees, Mauricio Duran, Juanita Huayllara, Lenny Hutagaol, Penie Ingemunson, Larry Karpinski, Timothy Marshall, F. Rowena McCann, Rachel Metzger, Rina Morales, Ivy Oyairo, Janice Ramos, Genaro Sanchez, Jan Santos, Ellengayle Tamano, Kathy Urrutia, Yvonne Walters, and Lauren Williamson

Isabelle Rees Scholarship ($1,200)

Adrienne Ritz, Sara Wilson, Kimmie Copen, and Natalie Guevara

Scholarship for Black Students ($1,200)

Catherine Robinson and Paul Mpawenimana

Scholarship for Hispanic Students ($1,200)

Olivia Robles and Neva Vasquez

Bonnie A.C. Lee Fang Scholarship

Stephanie Barr

Undergraduate Scholarship ($1,000–$3,000)

Olympia Beteta, Patricia Macalinao, Zorica Protic, Craig Bateman, and Penie Ingemunson

Rosie Voss Scholarship ($2,000–$3,000)

Kimberly Bock, Anita Chapin, Kimmie Copen, Matthew Shafer, Tikia Venable, Sara Wilson, Brandi Harris, Tikia Venable, and Lindsey Venden

Webb Scholarship ($3,000 per quarter)

Rodolfo Manosalva and Timothy Marshall

Harry M. Woodall ($1,000)

Cheyanne Burns, Richard Cho, Stephanie Contreras, Kymberly Dexter, Natalie Guevara, Jennifer Puma, Patricia Tamayo, Lauren Williamson, Mary Delote, Marissa Hansen, and Omotayo Ogungbe

George & Ollie Woodruff Scholarship ($750)

Anthony Frazier, Elyvanie Mukangoga, Catherine Ong, and Ambrosia Prudhomme

[Top] [email this page]

Sigma Theta Tau celebrates 27 years with induction ceremony

Undergraduate inductees of Sigma Theta Tau International's Gamma Alpha Chapter pose for a picture.


Graduate inductees pose for a picture following the induction ceremony held June 11.	Community members and employees of LLUMC who were inducted as members of Sigma Theta Tau International pose for a picture.

Sigma Theta Tau International's Gamma Alpha Chapter celebrated its 27th year with an induction ceremony held June 11 in the Campus Chapel of University Church.

Anne Gillespie, RN, associate director for patient care and nursing service, Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center, was the keynote speaker.

Forty-eight students, community members, and employees of Loma Linda University Medical Center were inducted into the Gamma Alpha Chapter.

Several awards were also given during the ceremony. Receiving the Clarice Woodward Award for Excellence in Writing was Elizabeth Johnston Taylor, PhD, RN, assistant professor, School of Nursing, and Dolores Wright, DNSc, RN, associate professor, School of Nursing.

Eva Miller, MS, RN, associate professor, School of Nursing, received the Excellence in Research Award.

Natalie Guevara and Matthew Shafer were presented with the BS Student Scholarship & Leadership Award.

Ahlam Jadalla and Iris Mamier were presented with the PhD Student Scholarship & Leadership Award.

Yvette Dial, Patricia Camille Macalinao, Deborah Monson, Jane Rosete, and Christine Romero were announced as recipients of the Southern California Fall Conference Sponsorship. The conference will take place October 9 to 10, 2003.

Ms. Gillespie's keynote address, "The Art of Caring Leadership," challenged each Sigma Theta Tau inductee to become a truly caring member of the nursing leadership force.

The following individuals were inducted into Sigma Theta Tau's Gamma Alpha Chapter:

Undergraduate inductees

Carrie Anderson
Alison Bell
Bituin Baluyot
Jessica Berg
Jungmee Byers
Laura Cabral
Tiffany Caseldine
Sandee Castaneda
Casey Cole
Scott Finn
Karla Garcia
Susan Greer
Natalie Guevara
Gina Kim
Clarissa Larsen
Terry Larsen
Brian Lynn
Eileen Martois
Susanna Norris
Zorica Protic
Laura Repede
Elizabeth Ritterskamp
Adrienne Ritz
Olivia Robles
Sierra Rosa
Joanne Sakamoto
Matthew Shafer
Sandra Simas
Ellengayle Tamano
Megan Thomas
Mindy Toombs
Sara Wilson
Carol Yeung

Graduate students

Lisa Kirby
Phoebe Kon
Maureen Mohr
Janet Nero
Roberta Ross
Samantha Wong
Xiaoxia (Elaine) Yu

Community leaders

John Turner
Deseree del Rosario
marcia Dunbar
Karen Bradley
William Lee Kayway
Patricia Sorenson
Joana Parco
Sharon Pearson

Sigma Theta Tau International granted a charter to the nursing honor society at LLUSN in 1976. The chapter, which promotes nursing scholarship, leadership, and research, has grown from 101 charter members to almost 1,100 members.

More than a quarter million nurse scholars have been inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International since its inception in 1922. With 120,000 active members, it is the second largest nursing organization in the world. Members are active in more than 94 countries and territories, and the 406 chapters are located on 503 college and university campuses in the United States, Canada, People's Republic of China, Pakistan, South Korea, Australia, and Taiwan.

[Top] [email this page]

Thursday, July 24, 2003 TODAY