Photo: Anna Webster

 

In My Own Words

BY BERNICE BOATENG ’20

Recent graduate Bernice Boateng ’20 was a nursing major, first-generation college student, and the recipient of the Sister Jeanne D’Arc O’Hare Merit Scholarship and the Mary Jane England ’59, MD President Emerita Scholarship. She was a Pride Guide (tour guide), orientation leader, resident assistant, and a member of the Student Nursing Association. In spring 2020, she received the Lynn Tripp Coleman Grace and Dedication Distinction Award, one of the highest leadership honors awarded at Regis.

My parents both immigrated to the United States from Ghana, determined to make sure that my siblings and I live a successful life. As a first-generation college student, I quickly learned that it was important for me to take advantage of every opportunity that came my way. At Regis, I had countless opportunities to expand my knowledge, serve the underserved, and have fun.

I remember touring college campuses in 2016 as a high school senior, confused about what I wanted to study in college. Little did I know, visiting Regis would help me discover that nursing was the career choice for me. After leaving my home in Connecticut to spend time on campus, I felt that the tight-knit community that was deeply rooted in helping underserved communities was the best place for me to grow as an individual and pursue my nursing degree.

Since then, I have had the opportunity to apply the skills I learned both in the classroom and in our simulation labs through clinical rotations at outstanding health care facilities. I was able to serve women in the Wellness Center at Rosie’s Place in Boston, help expectant parents usher their newborns into the world at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, and care for critically ill children and their families at Boston Children’s Hospital, a nationally ranked pediatric hospital.

I have also had the opportunity to travel to California with the Center for Ministry and Service, where I was exposed to the reality of poverty and homelessness in the urban inner city of Los Angeles. That trip left me inspired; in March 2020 I served as a student leader on a service trip to Puerto Rico.

Now that I’ve graduated, I hope to begin my nursing journey gaining experience in an acute care setting before pursuing a graduate degree. It is my goal to provide care throughout the U.S. and beyond.

A well-known African proverb says: “It takes a village to raise a child.” My village includes parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, professors, and friends. But it also includes some people I have never met before. The village behind our Regis community and me is the donors—the people who have been so generous and have given bountifully to ensure that students like me do not face barriers that hinder them from taking advantage of opportunities that come their way.

When we achieve, we usually do so because others have helped. Both of my generous scholarships helped ease my financial burden, allowing me to focus on furthering my career and growing as an individual so I can serve the underserved. The scholarship I received in the name of [former Regis president] Dr. Mary Jane England reminded me of the important role that powerful, diverse, and inspiring women have on the community, and that has motivated me to carry out her mission in alignment with my own. For all of this, I am forever grateful.

At Regis, I have learned that you can serve God by serving others, and I appreciate that Regis donors serve others through their generosity. My parents always say to my sisters and me, “Little drops of water make a mighty ocean.” Donor support—whether big or small—contributes to the extraordinary students that graduate from Regis to make an impact on their community and beyond.