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        • Graduate students learn hands-on health advocacy skills through legislative fellowship
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Well worth the trip

By Jill Jansen

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Graphic including photo of Dr. Barb deRose and Jennifer Fuentes, quote from the article by Jennifer Fuentes, and the IU School of Nursing logo

When nursing student Jennifer Fuentes heard about the IU School of Nursing’s (IUSON) summer trip to Spain, she couldn’t submit her application fast enough. She had nearly missed the deadline and knew she’d need to borrow money to travel, but Jennifer said she knew it would be well worth it.

“I really wanted to do a study abroad trip before my time in college ended,” said Jennifer, who is a senior on track to graduate in December 2024. “Because my family is from Mexico, Spain was very appealing to me, and I knew it was something I wanted to experience.”

Jennifer was one of nine IUSON students who participated in the one-week trip to Pamplona, Spain, in the summer of 2023. Hosted by the University of Navarra, the program included lectures by professors from Sweden, Africa and South Africa, educational presentations, a hospital tour and simulation workshops. The students attended class in the morning and toured Pamplona and the surrounding area during the afternoon and evening.

“The experience definitely improved my understanding of what it’s like to work with patients from different cultural backgrounds,” Jennifer said. “I learned that within my nursing practice, it’s important to have an open mind about cultural differences and to be flexible.”

A first-generation college student, Jennifer has firsthand experience with how a language barrier can impact personal health care. She also sees how this contributes to the health disparities experienced by the Hispanic community. Beginning at a very young age, she often translated important health information for her parents, who spoke very little English, when the family visited doctors’ offices.

“I saw the challenges my parents faced, especially with the language barrier,” Jennifer said. “It’s always been important to me to help out and give back to the community; that and the fact that I love to take care of people are some of the reasons I want to be a nurse.”

Jennifer got a head start on her career path, taking first aid and lifeguard certification courses in high school and earning certification as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). She worked in a nursing home while attending high school, and now as a full-time nursing student, she’s employed as a CNA on the medical-surgical unit at IU Health Arnett in Lafayette. Working toward her goal of becoming a nurse, Jennifer has received loving support and motivation from her parents.

“My parents have always told me, ‘échale muchas ganas hija y todo tus sueños se pueden hacer realidad,’ which in English means, ‘Give it your all, daughter, and all your dreams can come true.’”

With a strong interest in either oncology or hospice nursing, Jennifer hasn’t ruled out using her nursing education overseas.

“One of my goals is to work abroad as a nurse, whether that be in Mexico or another country I’m interested in,” she said. “I’m really open to anything and hopefully in the future I will be doing mission trips.”

  • Vital Signs Newsroom
    • 2025
    • 2024
      • December 2024 BSN graduate features
      • Celebrating Faculty and Student Excellence: Harm Prevention Partners Program Impact
      • Faculty Feature: Dr. Heather Hardin
      • Alumni Feature: Dawn Sites
      • Student Feature: Heather Ward
      • Donor Feature: Susan Buhr
      • Student Feature: Grace Heitzmann
      • Dr. Miyeon Jung
      • First-Generation Student: Chyna Gates
      • Resilience Redefined
      • Making Tomorrow Possible
      • Faculty Research: Dr. Kristin Levoy
      • Student Feature: Dayton Livingston
      • Alumni Feature: Savannah Langbehn
      • Donor Feature: Dr. Rose Mays
      • Bryan White and Marian Gilhooly lead in developing cultural competencies for the nursing curriculum
      • IU School of Nursing addresses state's nursing shortage with largest beginning class ever
      • Faculty Feature: Dr. Greg Carter
      • Celebrating Clinical Nurse Specialists!
      • Senior nursing students Serin Kang and Tomi Abegunde are ready for the start of the fall semester
      • Dr. Yvonne Lu's community-based research aims to increase health literacy about Alzheimer's Disease and related dementia among African Americans
      • IU student nurses experience healthcare in Kenya
      • Faculty Feature: Dr. Elizabeth Holtel
      • Dr. Jane von Gaudecker receives $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to address epilepsy treatment gap in western Kenya
      • Catalyst for change in The Kingdom of Eswatini
      • Fagan and Howle named Jonas Scholars
      • Jennifer Fuentes
      • Charlotte Carlley
      • IU School of Nursing Faculty Promotions
      • Dr. Jamie Rausch awarded August Tomusk Research Fund grant
      • Top 100: Gillienne Boyd
      • Elite 50: Stephanie Zidek
      • Top 100: Megan Szymanski
      • Top 100: Abby Henderson
      • Top 100: Emma Bucher
      • Kay Farmer
      • Kiki Suttle
      • Elham Algashgari
      • U.S. News & World Report's Best Online Nursing Rankings 2024
      • Top 100: Valliei Chandrakumar
      • Faculty Feature: Dr. Cindy Hill
      • Top 100: Tatum Murawski
      • Faculty Feature: Britney Arce
      • Faculty Feature: Dr. Melanie Gall
      • National Mentoring Month: Drs. Pei-Shiun Chang and Yvonne Lu
      • $15.5 million NIH award funds development of national network to include nursing home residents in clinical trials
      • Meet the IU School of Nursing Regatta Teams!
      • Meet the IU School of Nursing Regatta Teams!
      • Meet the IU School of Nursing Regatta Teams!
      • Student Feature: Ella Colclesser
      • Hispanic Heritage Month
      • Faculty Research: Dr. Jane von Gaudecker
      • Faculty Research: Dr. Jamie Rausch
      • Meet the IU School of Nursing Regatta Teams!
      • Faculty Research: Dr. Jennifer Brower
      • Meet the IU School of Nursing Regatta Volunteers!
      • Graduate student: Sarah Kenny
      • Hispanic Heritage Month Comes to a Close
      • Faculty Driving Change: Linda Romines and Sheila Wright
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