Dignity and the attire of the health profession marked the pre-celebration ceremony at which three Border Partners staff members earned the right to begin the work of an auxiliary nurse.
Border Partners is proud to share that this past week, three of our staff members graduated in their year-long auxiliary nursing program. The women are Vicky Ibarra, our lead health promotora, Brenda Escobar, a mental health counselor, and Reyna Garcia, a new promotora, Alongside their other responsibilities, that range from leadership in community organizations to motherhood, they’ve attended weekend classes for the past nine months in order to complete the auxiliary nursing certification program.
On Saturday, they participated in a pre-graduation ceremony. It celebrated the soon-to-be successful completion of their schooling. With three months remaining, they received their auxiliary nursing certification. With this recognition they can start to put what they’ve learned into practice. Border Partners’ board members and staff attended the ceremony to cheer them on as they accepted their certificates.
Implications of Auxiliary Nursing Certification
Juan Rascon, Border Partners’ General Manager (l), and Peter Edmunds (r), Border Partners’ co-founder flank Vicky Ibarra at her pre-ceremony reception for auxiliary nursing certification. Border Partners supporters extended their support and congratulations to the three certification recipients.
This is a big step forward for Vicky, Brenda, and Reyna. And their accomplishment will have numerous benefits for Border Partners, as well. Vicky received a scholarship from Border Partners to complete the schooling. She intends to use her new skills to help older adults in the community who cannot afford to go to the local clinic. She’s now able to give injections and monitor glucose levels for those with diabetes, for example.
Over the past year’s busy grant cycle, Border Partners offered healthy eating and nutrition classes in local schools. Those classes are now continuing in their second year. Brenda and Vicky’s additional expertise in these areas, is now supported by the practical general knowledge foundation they learned in the program. This will help our projects thrive. Their advanced education will introduce new ideas into our classes and programming.
Our community congratulates Brenda, Vicky, and Reyna on their dedication. We’re proud of their success. And, we’re pleased that they took advantage of this educational opportunity. It will benefit their community, Puerto Palomas, as well as all the satellite rural communities that Border Partners supports.