Gicela Chen
2011 Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient
Loma Linda University | School of Nursing
I was born a raised in Panama and moved to the United States when I was 15 years old. My parents migrated from Guangzhou, china to Panama where they got married and had all their children. Currently, two of my siblings as well as my parents still live in Panama.
During my high school years at San Gabriel Academy, I found my passion for science, but I did not discover my passion for nursing until after I started college at Pacific Union College.
During college, I volunteered at a hospital and was able to witness how nurses were one of the healthcare professionals that actually had the most opportunity to interact with the patients, providing the chance to influence people and to actually provide changes in their lives physically, emotionally and spiritually. I was inspired as nurses had the ability to hold someone’s hand when they are going through one of their scariest times or simply being there to bring them some peace with their competent skills.
As I continue to practice my nursing skills during clinicals, my passion for nursing keeps growing as I am able to observe how nurses create this special art of caring that is able to inspire and change people’s lives.
