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IMPACT
Improving Academic Confidence Together
IMPACT is a peer mentorship program at the Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health. These student mentors volunteer to provide support to fellow students (whom we call protégées). The protégées benefit by receiving service and assistance. The mentors benefit by developing leadership skills and professionalism. The college benefits by cultivating excellent students. The County benefits by turning out outstanding nurses.
For those reasons, the Alumni Association is proud to offer our scholarship called The Mentor's Mark to support IMPACT.
Please meet this semester's student mentors!
If you would like to donate towards this scholarship please click the button below:
Raymond Troung, 2020-II
Hello my name is Raymond Truong. I am in the 4 semester. My field of interest is ER, ICU or Oncology Nurse. Although these are my fields of interest my passion would be teaching. I plan to continue my nursing education and earn my masters and hopefully become an instructor at LA CONAH.
Nursing school is a difficult journey and I would not have made it through without guidance from my mentors. I am proud to be a mentor and know all the benefit this program provides and hope this program continues to guide future students
Adriana Vargas, 2019-II
Hi, my name is Adriana Vargas, and I am a fourth semester student at LA County school of Nursing. I am interested in working in ER and ICU, I love being able to make an impact on someone’s life when they are facing their worst days. I plan on staying and working for any county facility because I love the population the county facilities serves. I am currently enrolled at Cal State Fullerton to earn my BSN. I plan to continue my education to become a nurse practitioner and provide for the underprivileged community. My end goal would be to come back and be an instructor at LA county school of nursing. I am also a mentor for 1st-3rd semester students.
Nursing school was definitely a challenge and I couldn’t have done it without my family and friends’ support. From all the tears, sleepless nights and bad anxiety before exams and clinical was all worth it. Nursing school has taught me to always allow some time for yourself and to never give up. The people you meet along the way will be lifelong friendships This school was very challenging but like they say “There is no education like it in the world” I can say I am lucky to soon call myself a graduate from La county school of Nursing.
Amanda Leyva, Class of 2019-II
I made the decision to pursue nursing following my younger brother’s hospitalization at Keck Medical Center of USC at just 20 years old where he was on ECMO for a week, followed by a 2 week recovery in Telemetry. Since then, I have grown a strong appreciation for the nursing profession. I was lucky enough to have two nurses in the family who would help us understand the plan of care for my brother, and for that I am forever grateful. I truly believe that every family needs a nurse and I am looking forward to taking on that role, not just for my family, but for my future patients and their families.
I am currently in my fourth semester, member of class council for Admissions and Promotions, and a proud member of the group attending clinicals at Olive View UCLA Medical Center. After graduation I plan to begin working for a county facility while going back to school for a Bachelor’s in Nursing. I would love to work in a telemetry unit and eventually work my way up to critical care in an ICU. In the mean time, I am doing my best to get as much as I possibly can out of this rigorous program while trying to help others along the way. The support and pride at LACSON is unlike any other and I am lucky to be a part of it.
Andrew Rosas, Class of 2019-II
My name is Andrew Rosas and I am a 4th semester student. My field of interest currently is ICU or ER because one thing I love about nursing is being able to make a profound positive impact on someone during one of their worst days. It is truly a gift to experience that feeling and I hope to help my fellow classmates find a similar appreciation for the field that I have felt, especially during my time at CONAH. I hope to become a nurse practitioner in order to help heal my community by empowering them with knowledge of health and awareness.
I have always wanted to work in medicine for as long as I can remember, so I became a medical assistant and worked for about 4 years in an urgent care and surgical specialties clinic in Downtown LA. Since then my passion has been growing like wildfire and decided to pursue the nursing profession. My goal now is to try and touch as many lives as possible. Besides school, I enjoy hiking with my dog any chance we get and already have a few hiking trips in mind after nursing school.
Maria Andrade, Class of 2019-II
My name is Maria Andrade and I am a 4th semester student. I am interested in becoming an ICU nurse; it is a place where I believe patients need a knowledgeable and skillful nurse yet with a great compassionate heart to care for patients that are critically ill. I am thrilled to continue to learn and become the ICU nurse that every patient deserves to have at bedside. My goal is to continue my nursing career and get my BSN. After I complete my BSN, I would like to focus on getting my certification for Diabetic Educator, and my ultimate goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner and specialize in Endocrinology. I have witnessed in the hospital how many patients come in and out of the hospital due to poor control of their diabetes. I have a big desire to teach and help my
community with focus in diabetes.
My grandmother is a diabetic for many years now and I have witnessed how hard it has been for her to let go her sweet Mexican bread and Coke. Unfortunately, she has had one amputations of her toe and she has poor wound healing. It breaks my heart to witness this in someone that is so dear to me, but I also know that she has never been properly educated about what diabetes is and why she must change her diet. This is a motivation for me to continue to learn more and educate my community and family members.
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Bethany Sand-Dahl, 2020-II
My name is Bethany Sand-Dahl. I am currently a student at CONAH. My background is in fashion design and I am often questioned why I wanted to change careers. I made the transition to nursing after 10 years in fashion, when I came to the realization that I wanted to work directly with people in a way that was meaningful. Nursing school has taught me to be confident and decisive. I've overcome challenges in the classroom and in clinicals, and am excited for the future. After graduation my hope is to work at County in burns or wound care, and continue my nursing education getting my BSN and eventually my MSN. I love caring for patients' needs and cleaning and redressing wounds is a measurable way of caring for a person that truly resonates with me.
Amy Phung, Class of 2019-II
My name is Amy, and I am currently in the 4th semester. I am also a mentor for students in first, second, and third semester. I have always been interested in OB, pediatrics, OR, and Burns ICU. I plan to pursue an NP degree in the near future, but am happy and eager to learn much as the different fields of nursing has to offer along the way. I started as a caregiver at the age of 19, and my experience assisting and connecting with the many people I cared for has really made a huge impact on my mission of sharing compassion and sprinkle a little bit of kindness everywhere I go.
When I’m not eating, sleeping, and breathing nursing, I love to lift weights, hike, bake, and travel. In 2017, I took part of a missionary trip to Tecate, Mexico and provided triage care to the underprivileged and orphaned children at a medical monastery where all the nuns were RN’s as well. That wonderful experience made me even more eager to pursue nursing, so that I can serve my community and beyond. I am so excited for what lies ahead, and cannot wait to be the best nurse that I can be.
Brian Reyes, Class of 2019-II
Hello! My name is Brian Reyes and I am a 4th-semester nursing student at LA County School of Nursing. My field of interest is ER. I graduated from ELAC and also have my CNA and EMT license. I am currently enrolled in the ADN to BSN program at Cal State LA. I plan to continue my education and become a Nurse Practitioner and to provide for the underprivileged community. I am also a mentor and my goal is to make a difference in the future nurses who will continue to mentor the next generation into success.
The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. - Albert Schweitzer
Zeina Naser, Semester III, 2020-I
I’ve worked alongside many nurses over the past 10 years and that was enough to nudge me towards my destiny. Nursing school is definitely a challenge beyond what any of us students expected, and this IMPACT program highlights an essential part of nursing school success: support from fellow peers. I’m grateful for this opportunity to be a mentor for first semester students as they adjust to their new normal.
I’m still unsure about what nursing specialty to choose or if I should eventually pursue a graduate degree, but I do know I love my clinical rotations at LAC+USC and the population LAC+USC serves. I’m hoping to also one day be involved with the California Nurses Association’s push for universal health coverage.
