FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Kristine Villapando, SNAP Vice-President : 908-510-9671 or kria525@gmail.com
Michelle Holshue, SNAP PR/Events Chair : 215-206-0241 or michelle.holshue@gmail.com
Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RNC, FAAN SNAP Advisor : 215-898-8100 or spatz@nursing.upenn.edu

 University of pennsylvania students travel to texas to represent Penn nursing and receive awards;
Student elected to national board position

 Philadelphia, PA  March 31, 2008:  The Student Nurses at Penn (SNAP) sent twelve nursing students to the 56^th Annual National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) Convention in Grapevine, Texas, which took place March 26^th – March 30^th.  They joined over three thousand nursing students from across the country, and participated in the various networking, professional development, and organizational governance opportunities offered at the conference.

 G.J. Melendez-Torres, a School of Nursing & Wharton Freshman, made a huge impact when he ran for a national office for the NSNA. On Saturday, March 29^th, GJ was elected to the position of chair for the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC)-Eastern Region.  He also was elected to serve as Chair 0f NEC for the entire United States. G.J.’s election marks the first time a Penn Nursing student has ever served on the NSNA National Board. He is also the youngest member of the NSNA 2008-2009 Board.

 Laura McWilliam, Michelle Holshue, Jennifer Wilson, and Komal Patel were recognized for at the Opening Ceremony of the NSNA Convention for receiving scholarships from Johnson & Johnson and the NSNA Foundation. The Opening Ceremony also showcased another School of Nursing honor: The winning video from the recent Johnson & Johnson “Promise of Nursing for Pennsylvania” video challenge debuted to an audience of over 3,000 students, faculty, and honored guests. The video – produced here at Penn – featured Dr. Kathy McCauley and four School of Nursing students tap-dancing EKG rhythms; conference attendees were in stitches over the hilarious and informative video.

 Penn Nursing also had an important impact on the NSNA’s student government. G.J. Melendez-Torres and Bridget Baginsky served as Penn’s two allotted delegates for the state of Pennsylvania.  SNAP’s Legislative Coordinator Olivia Prebus presented a resolution in support of Health Literacy to the House of Delegates.  Allison Nill, the Legislative Coordinator for the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania, also presented a resolution in support of mental health care resources for Iraq War veterans and families.  Both resolutions passed with near-unanimous support from the House of Delegates.  

The Penn students also enjoyed talks from Keynote Speaker Major General Gale S. Pollock, the first female, non-physician Surgeon General, as well as an amazing Focus Session run by Penn Nursing’s very own Dr. Diane Spatz, titled “Nursing Research: It’s Not as Scary as it Sounds”.  Furthermore, they enjoyed networking with potential employers and graduate schools from all over the country at the Exhibit Hall, and they formed new friendships both within the group and with nursing students from various states and even countries.  

The twelve students who attended the NSNA convention were as follows: Nursing/Wharton freshman G.J. Melendez-Torres; Nursing sophomores Bridget Baginsky and Laura McWilliam; Nursing juniors Maura Holt, Allison Nill, and Kristine Villapando; and BSN Second Degree Students Carrie Day, Michelle Holshue, Julie Pham, Olivia Prebus, Jennifer Wilson, and Carol Wong. They were accompanied by Dr. Diane Spatz, SNAP’s wonderful and dedicated Faculty Advisor. Please congratulate these students on being excellent representatives of the University and the School of Nursing!

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