The Student Nurses’ Association (SNA) chapter at UCF’s Cocoa campus was recently recognized for its achievements at the National Student Nurses’ Association’s (NSNA) Convention in Dallas, Texas. They earned two awards, gaining their chapter national recognition for the first time.
The first award was presented to Whitney Miranda, SNA president, and Isaiah Moser for their resolution that was passed by the NSNA’s House of Delegates. Their resolution focused on the importance of early screening for sepsis. “This is the first time the SNA chapter on the UCF Cocoa campus presented a resolution to the National Student Nurses Association’s House of Delegates and it is a great honor to have it passed,” said Miranda. An article about their resolution will appear in NSNA’s Imprint magazine.
The second award, the NSNA’s Breakthrough to Nursing (BTN) Award, was presented to the chapter’s BTN Committee. Their project “The Heart of Nursing” earned the committee recognition for their dedication to mentoring pre-nursing students, enhancing student recruitment and retention in nursing, and providing professional development to their SNA members. Cocoa SNA’s Breakthrough to Nursing Director Elidia Luzardo was very happy with the chapter’s accomplishments. “I am very grateful to NSNA for recognizing the results that our committee was able to achieve during the last year,” she said. “I’m very happy to have worked with such an amazing group and to represent our school on a national level.”
Nancy Duckworth, a College of Nursing instructor at the Cocoa campus and faculty mentor to their SNA chapter spoke about her students with pride. “This award is a great recognition for all the hard work that the SNA officers and members have done this year,” she said.
The NSNA Convention is an annual event which celebrates the accomplishments of nursing students across the country. Twelve members of the Cocoa SNA attended this year’s convention with help from funds they raised during the past year through various activities and additional contributions from the UCF Student Government Association in Orlando.