Rodriguez wins National Student Nurse Association international photo contest

2015 Apr 29

Miriam Rodriguez, a senior nursing student from Fort Valley, Ga., won the Global Initiatives in Nursing International Photo Contest at the 63rd Annual Convention of the National Student Nurse Association (NSNA) held in Phoenix, Ariz., April 7-12, 2015.

The NSNA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the professional development of nursing students. The Annual Convention hosts around 3,000 nursing students, offering them activities in career development, chances to hear from professionals in the field and opportunities for networking.

The International Photo Contest, which is awarded at the convention, focuses on global initiative in the field of nursing by featuring pivotal moments in the international experiences of nursing students. The contest also strives to share the role of nursing in enhancing global health.

Miriam entered a photo from the spring of 2014 when she traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica with Transcultural Healthcare. While there, she spent a day providing health education at the Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf. The center provides residential facilities for deaf children from rural areas.

"This picture demonstrates one small moment in improving health while instructing these inquisitive children," stated Rodriguez in the abstract she submitted with the photo. "We were able to expand their views on nursing by laughing and playing with them while teaching them proper hand washing and dental hygiene. In the process, we learned that there is more than one way to communicate and the importance of accommodating communication styles. Most of all, we learned that through open hands, minds and hearts, we can improve global health."

Her photo also features Milton Stembridge, a fellow nursing student, who traveled to Jamaica and also attended the convention.

Rodriguez was presented with a certificate at the Closing Ceremony of the convention. Stembridge accompanied Rodriguez onstage to accept the award, as Rodriguez felt he also needed to be congratulated since he was a part of the picture she entered in the contest.