Claudia Sanchez GRADUATED

Claudia Sanchez graduated on May 18, 2023, from the Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada Reno, earning a Bachelor’s degree (BSN). In August of 2023, Claudia passed the NCLEX, the national nurse licensing examination. She now works at a pediatric rehabilitation center in Reno, where she is responsible for children and adolescents with severe disabilities who are medically fragile. Any student who wins admission and successfully completes a demanding program, where the work is unrelenting and the professors demand your best every day, obviously has something special to offer society.

But Claudia was not just any nursing student. Her journey that landed her a coveted spot at Orvis began years ago at Truckee Meadows Community College; her family was poor and no one had gone to college. She felt as if she were in an alien world. “My parents taught me that education is important, but scholarships and grants always seemed to be either just a fantasy or intended for someone else.” Claudia struggled through her classes, learning study habits, time management, and other coping skills that typically are not as well developed in high school. Fortunately, recognizing her work ethic, TMCC’s advisors and other students began to help her navigate through this unfamiliar landscape.

Claudia developed a passion for the nursing profession and was determined to enter nursing school. But despite receiving a Millennium Scholarship and working long shifts as a restaurant server, she found it very difficult to keep up with bills. Nursing school at UNR doesn’t lend itself well to part-time study; the students study together and advance together. Were Claudia to be forced off of the full-time schedule due to a lack of money, her professional future would be in jeopardy.

The Albee Aryel Foundation named Claudia a Fellow because she had the potential to become an outstanding nurse. We back-stopped her tuition, fees, and books, offered her health insurance, and removed other obstacles from her path. Claudia Sanchez’s most important job was to excel in school and learn her profession, and with the Foundation’s support, she succeeded.