Spring 2023 Spotlight Students:
Makayla and Jacob Bierman
Makayla Bierman is completing her third semester of the Northland Pioneer College Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, so she will graduate in May 2023. She is employed at Summit Healthcare in Show Low as a Patient Care Technician. After she graduates and passes her exam for professional licensure as a Registered Nurse, Makayla will work on the Medical/Surgical Unit at Summit, while pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Grand Canyon University.
Makayla’s husband, Jacob Bierman, is also a student of NPC’s ADN program, so the two will graduate together! As romantic as this sounds, the couple’s financial challenges are significant. With both enrolled in the program, and working in the healthcare field, they do not qualify for financial aid. They are living in Makayla’s mother’s basement until they become RN’s.
Happily, these two nurse candidates are succeeding together in more ways than one! For the spring 2023 semester, Makayla was awarded the Pres Winslow Memorial Scholarship, created in honor of the late Charles Prescott “Pres” Winslow, who was a devoted volunteer in the Winslow Unified School District and member of the NPC District Governing Board. Makayla also won the Doris Reed Nursing Scholarship, established by the family of Mrs. Reed in honor of her 50+ years in the nursing profession. Jacob won the NPC Friends and Family Leg-Up Scholarship.
As Jacob wrote in his scholarship essay, “You know how they say love at first sight DOESN’T exist? Well, I have to agree. I think the beginning a relationship is fun and exciting! However, it really takes time, dedication, commitment, frustration, forgiveness, and a lot of chocolate to develop a love for someone. I can say this is the exact same process needed for the nursing program.” Jacob and Makayla, who met while completing the prerequisites for admission to the program, have such determination and dedication, not only to their goals, but to one another. NPC Friends and Family is both proud and humbled to be able to help this couple achieve their dreams and become part of the nursing profession!
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Hello, Friend!
I hope this finds you and your loved ones well in these unprecedented times! I want to share with you some great news. As a great supporter of the students of Northland Pioneer College (NPC) through NPC Friends and Family, I want to share this with you and encourage you to listen to it. I want you to hear firsthand about how you have made a real difference in students’ lives, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, an arm of NPR, called APM Reports released a story called “Covid on Campus,” on their website. One of the colleges covered in their story is NPC! The webpage contains a short written synopsis of the audio story. The audio story is great and features several people at the college including our president and an NPCFF scholarship winner. You can listen to this story at:
https://www.apmreports.org/story/2020/07/29/navajo-nation-college-students-digital-divide.
The link to play the audio story is located UNDER the photograph on the webpage. PLEASE GO TO THE AUDIO link (which is much more comprehensive) than the written version. NPC’s part of the story starts in the audio recording around 22:26 and ends around 36:05. It is a great example of who we are and what we do, and most of all, how you have helped us! Please know how much I appreciate you, and enjoy!
Take good care,
betsy
Betsyann Wilson, Executive Director
NPC Friends & Family
1611 South Main Street
Snowflake, AZ 85937
928-536-6245
PEDAL THE PETRIFIED RIDES AGAIN!!!
2022 Event is in the books!
After a two-year, COVID-driven hiatus, two hundred twenty-five bicyclists from all over the U.S. participated in the tenth annual NPC Friends and Family Pedal the Petrified (PTP) at Petrified Forest National Park on Saturday, October 1, helping to raise more than $35,000 for NPC students.
The ride, which had not been held in person since 2019, was described by participants as “breathtaking,” “exciting,” and the “trip of a lifetime.” PTP is taking on a life of its own, creating moments and memories that go beyond the ride itself. Slated as a metric century ride which is 100 kilometers, or 62.137 miles, there is no competition, no winners or losers, just 225 riders biking through the incomparable scenery of the national park. Participants can also opt for a half-metric century, or about 31 miles, after which they and their bikes are shuttled back to the ride start.
Pedal the Petrified illustrates the power of Petrified Forest National Park to serve as a valuable partner to its neighboring communities. Of the 225 riders, only 168 came from Arizona, and of those, only 13 were local riders. The Cities of Holbrook and Winslow benefitted from revenue generated through lodging, dining and entertainment. The event also helps advance awareness about the region encompassing the Colorado Plateau and Arizona’s White Mountains. Pedal the Petrified is an outstanding example of how partnerships, in this case between the area community college, the Cities of Holbrook and Winslow, and Petrified Forest National Park, can succeed in connecting individuals to our national parks, while supporting academically talented, financially needy college students, and strengthening the economic vitality of the entire region.
