If you have chosen nursing so that you could make a difference, then we have a lot in common.  My name is Eleanor Lazar, and will be serving you this year as the President of the New Jersey Nursing Students, Inc. (NJNS). I graduated summa cum laude with a diploma in nursing from Helene Fuld School of Nursing in Camden County, NJ.  Currently I am pursuing my BSN at Grand Canyon University. Education is a lifelong experience.   

I have chosen nursing as a second career after some life experiences led me in this direction.  I am married with two children and was fortunate to spend several years at home with them.  The time I was able to spend with my children gave me the opportunity to volunteer in my community.  Soon, I realized that I enjoyed helping people and that even the smallest of things that you do for someone can make a lasting difference. 

Life is always changing and giving us the opportunity to grow. I have started my nursing career in an acute rehabilitation hospital and am so excited to start using the skills and knowledge that I have gained in school with patients and their families.

Additionally, there is an amazing group of students on your NSNS board this year. I am honored to be working with them and our consultants while we prepare the diamond celebration of our annual convention.

I encourage you to follow our website, reach out to us at our email addresses and become involved in our nursing organization. It is through your involvement that you will be able to be the voice for our nursing profession. You have the power to make an impact through your involvement.

Eleanor M. Lazar, RN
President
president@njnsinc.org

Hello, my name is Holly Christine and I am the 1st Vice President for NJNS, Inc.
 
In May 2011, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Burlington County College with an AAS: Nursing.  While attending, I served as SNA President in 2010 and 2011.  In the fall, I will be beginning my pursuit of a BSN.  My goal is to then continue on to complete an MSN degree.

Nursing is a second career for me. I have worked in sales for the past fifteen years, designing and selling home remodeling.  Changes in the economy encouraged me to go back to school and pursue my dream.

I have been married for 18 years and have a teenage son and daughter.  My family has been understanding and supportive as I juggled a full time job, nursing school, and family obligations.

I am excited to be joining NJNS, Inc. as 1st Vice President and look forward to working with you during the next year.

Holly Christine, RN
First Vice President
1stvp@njnsinc.org

Hello, my name is Candace White and it’s a privilege to serve as the 2nd Vice President for NJNS, Inc. for the 2011-2012 year. 

A Georgian native, I moved to New Jersey with my husband three years ago due to his Air Force obligations, but have adjusted well to the Jersey way of life.  I am currently a Registered Nurse, having received my AAS degree in nursing from Burlington County College in May 2011, with Cum Laude Honors.  I’m continuing my education this fall at Rutgers University, and will be graduating in May 2013 with a BSN.

Nursing is the first and only career that I have pursued.   I can’t remember a time that I ever considered a different profession for myself.  It’s rewarding and requires immense compassion and hard work, two qualities that come naturally to me. 

I’m very excited to be a part of NJNS Inc, and I look forward to an exciting and memorable year!

Candace White, RN
2nd Vice President
2ndvp@njnsinc.org

“It is not how much we do – it is how much love we put into the doing”.
-- Mother Teresa

My name is Nicole Dillon and it is an honor to serve the New Jersey nursing students as the Treasurer from 2011 to 2012.

I am a second degree student who decided after several years of working that I would go back to college to fulfill my dream of becoming a nurse.  I am currently attending Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ, and will be finishing up my BSN degree in May of 2012.  Our class will be the first BSN class graduating from Caldwell College. 

I am a graduate of Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey.  I graduated in 2009 with a B.A. in Law and Society. I began working as a paralegal while in college at Ramapo. I primarily worked on bankruptcy, medical malpractice, and personal injury. Although, I loved the legal field, I felt as though something was missing from my life. So, in 2010, I decided to begin taking the required pre-nursing courses and applied to Caldwell College’s BSN program. I was thrilled when I found out I was accepted. I was finally going to be able to live my dream of becoming a nurse. 

This will be an exciting year, filled with endless possibilities and opportunities and I am ecstatic to be sharing it with all of you!  

Nicole Dillon
Treasurer
treasurer@njnsinc.org

Hello, my name is Raquel Mora and I am very proud to be serving the New Jersey Student Nurses, Inc. as secretary. I am currently attending Helene Fuld School of Nursing in Camden County and will be graduating in December 2011. 
 
I am an international student from Costa Rica who has lived in the United States for 11 years. I wasn’t aware of my enthusiasm and hunger for learning until I started attending nursing school. It might have been a wake-up call but being a nursing student and being involved in the SNA has shown me the real power that comes from being a nurse. Nurses have the power to make a difference in the world. I am very excited to graduate in December, and already have plans of attending Rowan University to continue on for my BSN. I have served at my local SNA chapter as secretary for a year and I am the current president of our SNA. This year I will have the honor of organizing the Council of School Participants to be held October 8, 2011, as part of my duties as secretary.

I look forward to this year and know it will be a great educational and personal experience.

Raquel Mora
Secretary
secretary@njnsinc.org  

Hello, my name is Alison Lazzaro and I am excited to serve you by joining the board of NJNS, Inc. as Pulsebeat Editor/Public Relations Director. I am currently pursing my BSN at The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College). Additionally, I am minoring in History and am in the Phi Alpha Theta History honors society. My mother (who is a nurse) and fellow students inspired me to choose nursing, which has opened up so many doors in my life. I joined the Student Nurses Association at my college and serve as the Director of Professional Development. Through this organization, I took on a leadership role to recruit hospitals and set up a Nursing Career Fair at TCNJ.

In addition to being involved in SNA, I am the Cancer Education Chair for the club Colleges Against Cancer at my college. In addition to spreading knowledge campus wide about how to help eliminate cancer, each year I help to manage the growing Relay-for-Life at TCNJ. I also served as the Executive Board Secretary for TCNJ's Women's Club Volleyball team and play in tournaments on the East Coast. I am honored and humbled to be working with the NJNS, Inc. board this year. Their passion for leadership in nursing inspires me.

As I continue with my nursing education, I am excited to spread the word about all the exciting NJNS events through Pulsebeat. I hope you will contribute any ideas and articles to the publication. Please continue checking back on our website for updates.

I am ecstatic to dive into this new endeavor to serve you and become a better future nurse.

Alison Lazzaro
Pulsebeat Editor / Public Relations Director
publicrelations@njnsinc.org

Hello.  My name is Susan Moraca. I am proud to serve as Membership/Nominations Director for New Jersey Nursing Students, Inc. (NJNS). I am a second degree Nursing student at The College of New Jersey on the Dean’s List. My first degree is a Bachelors of Science in Biology. I am presently serving as the Treasurer on TCNJ Student Nurses Association Executive Board. I am a very organized person who enjoys public speaking, has a passion for travel and maximizing every experience in life. There are a number of events which have directed my life toward nursing.   

During my previous college career, I had the honor to have served as Student Government Treasurer for 2 years and Vice President of my class. I served as Secretary of the Biology club as well as on the Capital Expenditures Committee, which managed a budget in excess of $30,000.00. It was exciting to participate in MTV’s “Rock the Vote” initiative to encourage students to register and become involved in the voting process. I was also the founder and President of our Habitat for Humanity club chapter. It was a rewarding intimate experience to work beside a family constructing their own home. We received the Community Service Excellence Award and it continues to be the largest club on the campus.  

While traveling abroad to Cuernevaca, Mexico, I had the opportunity to work with children in local schools and an orphanage observing the quality of health care in Mexico. This sparked a passion and gave me a first hand view of health care.

I then began assisting in clinical research collection at a large inner city ER and Trauma Center. The focus of my data collection was on cardiac research, abscess and MRSA, substance abuse and overdose, and heroine/methadone research. I had the incredible opportunity to experience many critical situations and interact with a variety of patients. The experience taught me that the healing care of an individual is just as important as the medical procedure he or she is receiving. (You would think I would have gone into nursing at this point … but No.).

As a result of my experiences, my first professional job was as a research assistant at Jefferson University. I worked with world renowned researchers and an amazing team. As a result of our work, I was published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, and the journals of The Heart Failure Society of America, and The American Heart Association. I was also a group speaker and presenter of our research on the Etiology & Epidemiology of Pediatric Metatarsus Adductus Deformity. 

I am presently an intern at the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, where I’m learning the legalities of nursing and political issues influencing health care today.

My varied experiences have given me a unique perspective of the profession of nursing. Nurses need to be empowered and understand that their participation in their professional organizations can make a significant difference in their ability to practice in the profession. This begins with empowering student nurses to participate in their school and state organizations. I hope to bring some of the spark and passion of professional participation to my fellow students as the Membership/Nominations Director of NJNS.

Susan Moraca
Membership/Nominations Director
membership@njnsinc.org

I once read, “When you’re a nurse you know every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.” Very few other professions can boast such high rewards.

My name is Carolyn Isabelle Bogdon and I am proud to serve you as your 2011-2012 Community Health Director! I am eager to embark on this yearlong endeavor as I concurrently finish my BSN as part of the inaugural BSN class at Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ. I am excited to become a nursing leader and pursue my nursing path to the DNP level shortly after completion of my undergraduate degree in May!

I was a student athletic trainer in high school as well as a volunteer emergency medical technician at age sixteen and the first female firefighter in my tiny Jersey shore town by eighteen. My EMT background led me to a summer job with a large New Jersey ambulance company as well as a position in a local shore hospital as an emergency room tech as I finished high school and during vacations during my first two years of college. These years were spent in Missoula, Montana on the breath taking University of Montana campus. During these two years I majored in athletic training and was a leader in my sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. My work in the hospital refined my career path and I found myself transferring back home to my Jersey roots to major in nursing and I began at Caldwell in the Fall 2011.

In April 2011, I was fortunate enough to have the most educationally enriching experiences I’ve ever had when I traveled back west to Salt Lake City, UT spending a short week at the NSNA National Convention. I heard from fantastic nursing leaders from across the country and witnessed the intense inner workings of our parent organization. I am eager to bring my experiences at the NSNA convention to our state convention in Atlantic City. I encourage you all to become involved at the state and national organization levels!

I look forward to an exciting year with the 2011-2012 board and proudly serving the nursing students of New Jersey!

Carolyn Isabelle Bogdon
Community Health Director
communityhealth@njnsinc.org

Hello fellow nursing students, my name is Avery Gardner and it is an honor to serve the New Jersey nursing students as your Breakthrough to Nursing Director!

I am one of those students who have always been involved in an organization. In 2007 when I began my education at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey, I was the Vice President of our Environmental Club. The following year I became an active member of our school’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society of two-year colleges, and became the Vice President of Fundraising from 2008-2009. I continued my involvement and from 2009-2010 I was the Vice President of Leadership. Through my work with the honor society I went to many regional and national conventions around the country, shared ideas with students from around the world and fostered a passion for helping my fellow students.

After my term with the honor society came to a close, I became the President of the Brookdale Student Nurses’ Association for the 2010-2011 term and was reelected for the upcoming 2011-2012 academic year as well. Being able to work with a wonderful executive board and utilize our talented nursing faculty throughout my term as President has been a pleasure. I have had such a wonderful time coordinating activities for our nursing program throughout the year and working with our hard-working, passionate Brookdale nursing students.

This past year I was also the delegate at both our New Jersey Nursing Students, Inc. 59th Annual Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the National Student Nurses Association Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. The time spent at these conventions has been a priceless learning experience that has enabled me to communicate with other chapter presidents in the United States and has given me numerous ideas I would love to implement this year as your Breakthrough to Nursing Director.

I am currently entering my last year of nursing school and will be graduating in May 2012! I am a Patient Care Associate working on the Post-Partum unit at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ, and am in love with my job. Each day brings me a unique and rewarding experience and it is a joy to work side by side with such amazing nurses.  I cannot wait to start working as a Registered Nurse. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do; where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” This quote is what drives me to fulfill my dream of become a Family Nurse Practitioner and pursuing my DNP.

I am looking forward to a fantastic year on the 2011-2012 New Jersey Nursing Students, Inc. board and cannot wait to meet and work with the nursing students from the great state of New Jersey. See you at the 60th annual NJNS convention in Atlantic City!

Avery Gardner
Breakthrough to Nursing Director
btn@njnsinc.org

Hello, fellow New Jersey nursing students! My name is Caryn Weeks and I hold the position of Legislation Education Director at NJNS, Inc.

I started the pursuit of my nursing career back in 1991 when I began taking pre-requisites courses at Camden County College. I then took a long break from school, during which time I got married and had four amazing children. I worked for 10 years as a supervisor for a medical records copying service, but I never felt fulfilled. For years I told everyone that one day I would return to school to become a nurse. I finally decided to pursue my dream seriously in 2005 and I am now about to enter my final semester at Helene Fuld School of Nursing in Blackwood, NJ.

I served as Fundraising Director for the SNA at Helene Fuld for the 2010-2011 term and currently hold the position of Vice President for the fall 2011 semester. I am so excited about the upcoming year with NJNS. I first learned of the importance of NJNS while attending the convention in February, 2011. It was such an enriching experience and I knew instantly that I wanted to be a part of it.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve as Legislation Education Director for the 2011-2012 term. I am looking forward to a great year!

Caryn Weeks
Legislation Education Director
legislation@njnsinc.org

Hello, my name is Stephanie Huang and I will be serving as the Resolutions Director for NJNS, Inc. in the year of 2011-2012.

My first exposure to NJNS was in my freshman year at Rutgers University, College of Nursing at the New Brunswick campus. A little secret about me is that I had never considered nursing as my career path, even up until the day I enrolled in Rutgers’ College of Nursing.  I attended the annual NSNA convention in Atlantic City as a delegate, unsure of what was in store. Little did I know that I would come out of the convention as an integrated part of this nursing organization family.  The open environment and the unity of nurses stood out to me and pulled me in immediately.

I look forward to working with the larger family of nursing students from schools across New Jersey to find and implement resolutions to nursing issues today. Together, we can make a difference and I can’t wait for this journey of learning to begin!

Stephanie Huang
Resolutions Director
resolution@njnsinc.org

Hi everyone!  My name is Christina Nalbone and I am proud to say I will be serving as your 2011-2012 Fundraising Director. I am currently entering my senior year at Caldwell College and plan to graduate in May 2012 with my BSN.

I have always had a passion for helping others achieve a healthy mind, body, and spirit.  I knew I wanted to purse a health career a few weeks after becoming a pilates instructor. The feedback I received from the students about their healthier living habits since the classes motivated me to seek out other health professions I would want to pursue as a career. Nursing incorporates everything I love from utilizing medicinal treatments to the ability to include more holistic modalities such as guided imagery in order to treat the whole person. 

I have also been a part of numerous volunteer services and club organizations, including the St. Jude Up Til Dawn club at Caldwell College of which I became president last year. I have gained extensive experience in fundraising through St. Jude, but most of all I learned that in our busy world it is important to go 'back to the basics' and practice what we learned when we were toddlers.

People are taught to share with others early on in life. You start with sharing Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels, and soon enough you are in high school sharing clothing and cars. As future nurses, we are learning the art of sharing not only our services but our love and support. Winston Churchill once said "You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give."

I can't wait to change lives with you. So let us move forward together and open doors to the endless possibilities of the nursing career.

Christina Nalbone
Fundraising Director
fundraising@njnsinc.org