At eight years old, Niyokwizera Anna arrived in Milwaukee after spending her early life in a refugee camp in Tanzania, Africa. When she came to Milwaukee, none of her family spoke English. They had to develop relationships and rely on the help of others.
Although she was young when she lived at the refugee camp, the devastation surrounding the camp stays with her. She recalls the shortages of clinics, doctors and nurses, especially the lack of care for people who had an immediate need. This experience is what drove her to pursue a career in nursing.
Niyokwizera will begin in fall 2020 as a Senior at UWM. In her undergraduate career, she has earned five scholarships from the College of Nursing and maintained a 3.8 GPA. Through her academic journey, not only has she worked as both a Pharmacy Technician and UWM Resident Assistant at Cambridge Commons but also has participated in undergraduate research with Dr. Teresa Johnson. Niyokwizera has plans to finish her BS in Nursing and pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice to become a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Niyokwizera thankfully shared, “The scholarships I have received from UWM have helped my family and me tremendously. My parents are not able to help pay for my education. Not worrying about how I am going to pay for classes has allowed me to focus on studying and getting involved on campus. To the scholarship donors who have helped me thank you for your continuous support to students like me, with no other way to pay for college.”
Niyokwizera’s story is just one of the hundreds of scholarship stories UWM College of Nursing has to share. Scholarships are the lifeblood of our College because they attract the best and brightest students while providing access to those who could not otherwise an education. Like Niyokwizera, more than 50% of our nursing students have no financial support from parents and more than 40% are first-generation college students.
To learn more about making a donation to a scholarship or creating a named scholarship, please contact Michele Weinschrott at weinschr@uwm.edu or 414-251-8064.