CU Nursing - Commencement Spring 2021 - 12

12

G R A D U AT I O N

Continued from previous page

Julia rose in the ranks at Sky Ridge
and is now Director of Trauma
Services. She writes policies and
procedures, teaches residents and
attendees, and oversees trauma
patients with doctors from entry to
discharge. Her Master of Science will
help her be a better leader and manager in multiple health care settings.

ABBY'S STORY
Abby graduated from the Colorado
Mountain College in Steamboat
Springs, then attended one year
at the University of Colorado in
Colorado Springs before entering the
College of Nursing on the Anschutz
Medical Campus. She's known since
she volunteered in the emergency
room at Sky Ridge in college that
she wants to work in the intensive
care unit.
" I've always loved it. My mom has
always loved it. We both love critical care and helping people. I also
enjoy cardiac and neuro nursing, "
said Abby.

New Student Group
Helping To Change
Culture at CU's
College of Nursing
By Deborah Sherman

I

f you're a nursing student who feels the culture at the University of Colorado College of
Nursing needs to change, you can now turn
to Future Voices. The student group was established last June during a time when news
headlines reported police officers shooting
Black Americans and the death of Minneapolis
resident George Floyd.
A nursing student who was outraged at what she
saw on the news and questioned the university's
response wrote an email to the College asking it
" not to turn a blind eye " to what was happening
nationwide. Omarah Macias heard back from the

Abby still lives at home and will see
her mom there and at Sky Ridge.

CU College of Nursing | May Commencement 2021

One of the group's goals today
is to induct the first Black
nurse who graduated from the
University of Colorado School of
Nursing in 1946 into the Colorado
Women's Hall of Fame. Zipporah
Park Hammonds blazed trails for
all women and people of color in
health care, record-keeping and
philanthropy in the face of extreme racism and prejudice. The
beloved leader died in Longmont,
Colorado in July 2011. Since then,
her sons have nominated her to
the hall of fame five times without success.
" As more women and people of
color are finally being recognized
for their contributions to nursing,
healthcare and the sciences, we
believe in joining our collective
voices with her sons at this pivotal moment. This is the year to
give Zippy her very well-deserved
recognition for all her hard work
in paving the way for Black
indigenous nursing students of
color who came after her, " wrote
College of Nursing students Salwa
Bamba, Jessica Gonzalez-Avitia
and Omarah Macias.

Abby's ultimate goal is to be a flight
nurse, working outside the hospital,
flying high in a helicopter helping
save the lives of people suffering
massive heart attacks, hurt in car
accidents, and a million other unforeseen emergencies. Abby says she
" may " get her master's degree one
day like her mom, but for now, she
wants to enjoy being a nurse.

" We won't be working side-by-side,
which is a bummer. But it's also good
because I don't want my mom to be
my boss, " said Abby.

Future Voices is comprised of
undergraduate and graduate
students who work to create a
safe and inclusive place for all
students and prevent social injustices. The American College of
Nursing (2019) says 90% of the
nursing workforce is female and
81% are white.

assistant dean of student affairs and diversity.
Shane Hoon invited her to a greater diversity,
equity and inclusion meeting for faculty. But she
quickly realized the group was missing a critical
voice - that of the student - and decided to start
an organization just for them.

The group has already collected
more than 1200 signatures on
a petition to show public support for Hammond's induction
into the hall of fame. If you'd
like to show your support,
you can sign the petition:
www.change.org/inductzippy
http://www.change.org/inductzippy
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