By Rawdica Stephen. Updated 1:35 p.m., Thursday, June 27, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
“Nothing is impossible with God.” Is the favorite quote of 24-year-old Danielle Lewis who is still in a celebratory mood after being named the Top Student in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme, a joint offering between the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) and the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Lewis was among a total of 691 students who graduated from the four divisions of the SVGCC on June 25, in an amalgamated graduation ceremony at Victoria Park, Kingstown. The other divisions include the Division of Teacher Education (DTE), the Division of Technical and Vocational Education (DTVE), and the Division of Arts, Sciences, and General Studies (DASG).
In an interview with One News SVG, the nursing graduate from Lowmans Hill describes herself as a hardworking and God-fearing individual whose inspiration for becoming a nurse began as a young child. She was always eager to look at wounds/injuries and even to assist in taking care of such wounds.
One such example took place in 2018 when her grandfather sustained a dog bite. She took him to the clinic and observed and assisted the nurse in dressing the wound. After seeing her interest, the nurse put her in charge of cleaning her grandfather’s wound until it was healed. “It brought me great joy and I am happy to report that my dream became a reality when I enrolled in the Bachelor’s Degree Program”.
When asked about the challenges she faced in the program, Lewis outlined Group assignments as a major challenge as she has to work with different personalities, opinions and beliefs. She overcame THIS by praying and asking God to take full control of every group assignment.
She also added that “Death was also a challenge for me in the clinical area. I remember the first time I experienced a death, I was in disbelief which took me a while to get accustom to that fact of life”.
On the flip side, Lewis says “I enjoyed the theoretical aspects of all my courses. However, the highlight of my 4 year journey were my clinical experiences. Especially in the field of Maternity and Child Health, Mental Health and Specialized Nursing.
The bachelor’s in nursing top student says the amount of content covered in the program and the clinical experience received are two of the main ways in the which program has prepared her to excel in field of nursing. She says, “With the knowledge and skills gained, I am going to give back to St. Vincent and the Grenadines by rendering evidence-based care to my future patients and their family members which will result in me becoming a great nurse”.
She is urging prospective nursing students to enter the program with the mindset to work as nothing good comes easy. “There will be a lot of challenges but you have to keep pushing!”
Lewis is expressing gratitude to God for guiding her through this journey, her parents Daniel Lewis and Susanne Baker- Lewis for their unwavering support, her little brother Joshua Lewis for all the encouraging words, and her past lecturer Dr. Asif Collin Dover and Shanique Brown for all their support.
One News SVG 