Beaver College of Health Sciences

By Amanda Mlekush

The Beaver College of Health Sciences nursing students recently received a gesture of kindness from nursing students and faculty at UNC-Charlotte's School of Nursing, who said they wanted to support their nursing colleagues affected by Hurricane Helene. 

During an end-of-semester breakfast meeting on Tuesday,  Dr. Chris Smith, two-time graduate of the App State nursing program and faculty member at UNC-Charlotte, surprised the junior and senior nursing students with an announcement that he was bringing the Mountaineer nurses notes of encouragement from the Niner nurses, and that the Charlotte chapter of Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society is making a $2,500 donation to the App State chapter. 

The donation will be earmarked to cover the $100 induction fee for all of App State’s Sigma Theta Tau 2025 inductees; in addition, all the nursing students at the meeting received a gift card to use for food or transportation costs. 

“The primary pillars of Sigma Theta Tau are scholarship and service, and the UNC-Charlotte members are committed to serving the newest generation of nurses,” said Dr. Amber Welborn, Nursing faculty and member of Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. “These notes and the donation mean so much to our undergraduate nursing students who have been faced with compressed clinical rotations due to the schedule changes due to the hurricane. Gas cards are always helpful since some of our students have to travel an hour and a half to drive to their clinical placements.”

Photo: At the recent event, Beaver College Development Director Jeff McPherson (right) and Dean Marie Huff (center) talk with senior nursing student Valerie Farfan, who is a Beaver Scholar and president of the Student Nurses Association at App or SNAAP. Valerie is currently working at UNC Health Appalachian Watauga Medical Center in the Labor and Delivery unit and making plans to do some clinical mission work in the Dominican Republic soon. (Photo by Amanda Mlekush) 

"Many of us, including myself, were deeply touched by the donation and notes of encouragement from UNC-Charlotte's Sigma Nursing chapter," said Farfan. "It's empowering to know that support exists following such a challenging time, and it's also beautiful how a devastating event can unite so many people, even across state lines, to create a strong sense of community. The bonds we share as healthcare professionals can transcend distance and hardships." 

The breakfast meeting, which was sponsored by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and SNAAP (Student Nurses Association at App), also included a Zoom visit from  App State alumnus Steven Cuzmenco, MSN, who shared advice about approaching life after graduation and some insights on healthcare quality improvement, which seeks to standardize processes and structure to improve patient outcomes.

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