Chi Pi | Frontier Nursing University

Each spring and fall, Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) Chi Pi chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (STTI) awards exceptional students with a $750 scholarship for their strong academic success. All recipients have previously qualified for STTI membership by completing at least a quarter of their degree program, holding a 3.5 or higher grade point average, and demonstrating academic excellence.

Join us in celebrating all of this year’s spring scholarship recipients:

CE Durfee, MSN (Nurse-Midwifery), Class 179
Dominique Wilson, MSN (Nurse-Midwifery), Class 181
Cathy Cook, DNP, Class 34
Devon Vandewiele, MSN (Nurse-Midwifery), Class 182
Chelsey Hymas, MSN (FNP), Class 179
Hannah Morrison, MSN (PMHNP), Class 179
Amy Guzman, MSN (Nurse-Midwifery), Class 178

Congratulations to all of the recipients! Keep up the great work – we can’t wait to see what big things your futures hold!

Here are some of the things this year’s winners have to say about receiving the scholarship and how it will help them in their healthcare journey:

“Wow! Thank you so much! I am a Class 17 CNEP graduate. I always felt I was ‘called’ to FNU from the moment I called Frontier that very first day and spoke to Judy Pennington; I just felt like Frontier was ‘home’. I have been honored to serve women and their families for over 30 years, first as a registered nurse and then a midwife. Four years ago I had the opportunity to come home once again as a Regional Clinical Faculty member. I now enjoy midwifing our Midwife and WHNP students; it is amazing to see ourselves surpassed. I had no real plans (as I didn’t expect to win) for the scholarship money, however, I will use it to purchase regalia to wear at graduation! Thank you once again for the scholarship and the chance to tell everyone how much FNU means to me.” –Cathy Cook

“Thank you so much for this opportunity. This scholarship will greatly help me as a single mom as I prepare to get through my clinical rotations this summer/fall of 2020 and next winter/spring 2021. I need financial help to pay for the certifications I will need for clinicals – neonatal resuscitation program, my BLS renewal, and the money I need to take my boards. I am a single mom and am doing this graduate school program without any financial help or support from anyone. This money will help me be able to keep our household afloat. I have a 16-year-old son and will be spending a lot of money on gas as I travel to and from clinicals which will be an hour away. I may also need to upgrade my phone as we will be using apps for our clinical resource tools and I may have to purchase extra apps to help with clinicals. Thanks again for this much needed financial support and for the valued support of my academic goals from Chi Pi.” –Amy Guzman

“Wow! Thank you so much! I plan to use the scholarship money to help cover the cost of attending Clinical Bound this fall. I’m so excited!” –Chelsey Hymas

“I am SO honored, thank you so very much! This scholarship will help me with tuition, which in return will allow me to quit my job and focus my energy on my clinical time in and out of a hospital birth center in San Francisco, California. I will be learning to provide evidence-based, culturally competent, group prenatal care, while also attending births outside of the hospital setting. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to focus my time on the building blocks of my future career as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. My goal is to then use this foundational knowledge to work all over the world with underserved communities because I believe that by empowering expecting mothers and their families, we can benefit entire communities. Thank you so much for your generosity.” –Devon Vandewiele

For more information about Chi Pi and how to apply for upcoming scholarships, visit Frontier.edu/Honor-Society.

Each fall, Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) Chi Pi Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (STTI) awards several students with a $750 scholarship. To qualify for STTI membership, students must have completed at least a quarter of their degree program, hold a 3.5 or higher grade point average and demonstrate academic excellence.

Congratulations to the Fall 2019 Chi Pi scholarship recipients:

Kara Crispin
Debora Lundgren-Walls
Sally Sanchez
Meagan Tremblay
Melanie Laub
Carrie Hernandez
Shannon Theiss
Jenny Ownbey

Best of luck to these students as they continue their educational journeys! Here is what FNU students said about receiving the Chi Pi scholarship:

“Due to the generosity of the Chi Pi Chapter, I am one step financially closer to reaching my goal of becoming a family nurse practitioner. I have used a portion of the scholarship money to register for the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives annual conference in order to engage with my local nurse practitioner community, follow legislative decisions impacting my future practice, and participate in lifelong learning. In the remaining portion, I am setting aside to cover my expenses for Clinical Bound in July. Thank you Chi Pi for investing in my future.” -Kara Crispin

“The Chi Pi Scholarship arrived at a very opportune time. I was off work for three months after surgery and this scholarship provided some much appreciated financial support for the winter term. I am extremely grateful for the financial help and proud of the accomplishments I have achieved that allowed me to qualify for this scholarship. Thank you Chi Pi and Sigma Theta Tau.” -Melanie Laub

“The 2019 Fall Scholarship allowed me to spend more time concentrating on my studies during the DNP program and less time worrying about how to pay for it. In a time of financial need, this scholarship helped to slightly ease the financial burden. I am honored to have received a scholarship during the fall 2019 term and extremely grateful to the Chi Phi Honor Society for providing me with this opportunity.” -Meagan Tremblay

“Receiving a scholarship from Chi Pi was truly a blessing to my family. Two days before I received notice that I was awarded the fall scholarship, my husband and I had been discussing finances. We discussed whether I should continue in school and take out more school loans vs. taking a break to pay off what I had accrued. Also, my seven-year-old son was in need of oral surgery, and everything just seemed to be piling up, financially speaking. The scholarship boosted my spirits and allowed wiggle room for us to afford my son’s surgery. I am very honored to have received the Chi Pi scholarship.” -Carrie Hernandez

“As one of the recent Chi Pi scholarship recipients, I would like to reach out and thank the honor society and its members for their financial support through this scholarship. I chose to continue my education at Frontier Nursing University because their values aligned with mine, wanting to serve the families around me. My education here has been wonderful, and I have gained not only the knowledge and skill needed to become a future midwife, but also a family.

“I am currently going into my final terms at FNU and am in the midst of clinicals. We had an unexpected setback, and I lost my first and second clinical placements. I have had to relocate away from my family to finish clinicals and my degree. This has placed a huge financial burden on my family, and just when I thought I might have to drop out for a while, my extended family came to my assistance. Your financial support will assist me in continuing my required clinical hours and help me complete my MSN degree here at FNU. My family and I appreciate your support, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” -Shannon Theiss

To find out more about Chi Pi and apply for the 2020 scholarship, visit Frontier.edu/Honor-Society.