Visiting Angels Nursing Excellence Scholarship creator enjoys meeting WNC recipient

Visiting Angels’ Nursing Excellence Scholarship creator Tina Holland and scholarship recipient Laina Aquino met in February on the Carson City campus. It provided them with an opportunity to get to know each other better and gave Laina, a second-year nursing student, the chance to thank her scholarship donor.

During their conversation, Laina learned that Tina also went through nursing school — earning her associate in nursing degree from Napa Valley College, a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Sonoma State and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration at Grand Canyon University.

She also learned that Tina owns and operates Visiting Angels, a caregiving agency that provides home care for older adults in Carson City and surrounding areas.

Fittingly, Tina learned that Laina is the type of student and person who she wants for her new scholarship. Here are parts of their conversation:

Q: Why did you start this scholarship?

Tina: Visiting Angels builds on the desire and the satisfaction in helping somebody, and building a personal relationship with somebody, and building trust with that person. Those skills, that you learn at bedside and that personal-intimate space so that the person trusts you; those skills will never leave you. Our goal is to help seniors and to help nursing assistants give that first exposure to provide that environment for people.

Q: Who influenced you to become a nurse?

Laina: My dad because he just really wanted to push me toward something more — a career. I was really nervous, especially my first two days (in clinicals). When I went over to ask my instructor for help and I told her how I was feeling, she was like, ‘That’s a normal feeling.’ She really helped me push through that day and it made me realize someone cares … someone out there really cares. If you are feeling alone, you’re not alone. It’s so cliché, but there’s someone out there; you just have to reach out.

Q: How will Visiting Angels' scholarship directly help you as you continue your nursing education at WNC?

Laina: I used to have a part-time job while I was going to school, and I realized that it was taking away some time from me studying and practicing some skills that I need to work on. I realized I wasn’t going to have as much money as before, but that’s OK because it’s my future that matters and my education will open more doors for me. With this scholarship, it’s going to help me focus more on my studying and my education … it’s going to help me focus on the things that will matter a lot more and my future, so I’m very thankful for the scholarship.

Q: What does it mean to you to provide this scholarship to Laina?

Tina: It is my pleasure to help somebody as motivated and driven as you get through nursing school, so I’m equally as excited. You qualified for the scholarship based on some very critical criteria as far as GPA, work history and education history. I feel I set the bar a little too high intentionally, and you met it. You should be proud of yourself because I want to promote nursing students who have a drive and are striving to be better, and that’s why it’s called the Nursing Excellence Scholarship. That’s who we want to support. Congratulations!

Q: What are your plans for the future?

Laina: I plan on going on to the program at UNR to get my bachelor’s degree.

Q: What are your impressions of what WNC has done for health care in the community?

Tina: When the school can train nursing students the way they have with results and outcomes that they have — as far as passing the NCLEX on the first try — that’s a huge accolade for the college. That tells me that the college is putting out some incredibly educated and skilled nurses, which will only benefit our community. It’s very exciting that our community can feel that they are getting the best care, and the staff and nurses who are taking care of them are well-trained and prepared for the variety of healthcare issues that they might experience.

Q: Tina, you began preparing for a career in health care in a very similar way to what Laina is doing now at WNC. How special and meaningful is that for the both of you?

Tina: The first time I came to Western Nevada College I felt nostalgic. I felt like I was back at Napa Valley College when I received my two-year degree in nursing. So, I started out with an associate degree in nursing, like Laina will have, and from there I went to Sonoma State, where I got my bachelor’s degree in nursing. So, I see that for your future … I see you going to a university and earning a bachelor’s degree.

I was drawn to open my own agency, Visiting Angels, because I felt like my career had gone full circle and I was back at bedside and the intimate setting with the clients as we called them (because we’re not medical), but it’s a very similar interaction, the same intimate experience and it feels natural to be in that space again.

We are walking the same path. I’m excited for you. It’s quite a journey, but it’s absolutely worth it. It’s exhausting, stressful and overwhelming, but that’s good training and that’s how we grow up.

Laina: You are passing the torch. You know the struggles. It’s the experience that matters, even if it’s not perfect and there will be so many mistakes, but that’s where the growth comes in. As long as I can keep moving forward — nursing is like a really steep mountain to me. It’s so hard to climb every step of the way, but the view up there is so nice, so beautiful.

For more information on starting a scholarship at Western Nevada College, phone the Foundation at 775-445-3240.