Congratulations to nursing students, Terazhya Grant, ’22, and Myriam Pierre Oluyinka, ’24, who were awarded Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Organization (MMPNO) scholarships. Fourteen students received scholarships this year from different colleges and universities in the Seattle area.

Click here to read more about Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Organization.

Terazhya Grant, BSN ’22

Terazhya Grant will graduate from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in August 2022. 

I am a mother of two fabulous grown men, 20 and 23. For the past 15 years, I have been employed at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance as a Medical Assistant and Surgical Technologist. I have truly enjoyed working for such a wonderful organization. 

I have wanted to be a nurse for many years. I was drawn to the Seattle University mission statement, holistic approach and focus on educating of the whole person. They are a big reason for my choosing to come to SU. The moment I walked onto campus for a nursing seminar, I just knew where I belonged. 

I will graduate from the BSN program in August and will start a nursing residency in October at Harborview Medical Center in the Operating Room (cardiac, ortho, and spinal). Since my clinical psych rotation, I have wanted to work at Harborview in trauma. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life, and I am super excited to start my journey in October.

Myriam Pierre Oluyinka, DNP ’24

Myriam Pierre Oluyinka is a doctoral student in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program. 

I was born in a community in Miami, Florida called Little Haiti and was raised in a Haitian household. My upbringing played a pivotal role in helping to connect me with people from all around the world--with no passport required. These personal experiences were influential in my learning about the challenges that various cultural groups face.

I knew that by becoming a nurse I could create an opportunity to be an advocate for those belonging to diverse or disadvantaged communities. After working in various nursing roles, I decided to become a nurse care manager and collaborated with diverse patients dealing with chronic clinical needs. In this role, I found that these patients not only needed help with their clinical needs, but they also needed help managing their mental health. They had a lot of fears and hesitancy when it came to addressing their mental health. They would share feelings of being misunderstood, judged, or stigmatized inside and outside their community due to their mental health challenges. When the opportunity came for me to pursue an advanced degree, I knew that becoming a PMHNP would help to address a critical need in the community.

After I graduate, I would like to work amongst disadvantaged and diverse communities, to educate them on the importance of their mental health and to instill hope when it comes to addressing their mental health challenges. My hope is to eventually have my own mental health practice.