Nursing student receives senior year scholarship

By: Mark Reyes, newswriting intern                                   communications@bloomfield.edu

Bloomfield College student Jenna Szumlicz has been awarded the Jamilyn Brierly Foundation For Anorexia Awareness Scholarship in recognition of her academic achievements. The $21,000 scholarship will cover the East Hanover, N.J. native’s senior year tuition as she continues to pursue her degree in Nursing.

“I feel like all the hard work has paid off,” said Szumlicz. “Being awarded this amount of money is truly the best gift. This scholarship impacts me as a student and specifically as a nursing student because of where the scholarship came from.”

Jamilyn’s mother, Lynn Brierly, founded the Jamilyn Brierly Foundation. She founded the non-profit organization after her daughter lost her battle with anorexia in 2006. The foundation’s purpose is to raise awareness for anorexia in the community while providing medical care and guidance to those in need.

To be considered for the scholarship, Szumlicz had to fit the criteria of being a nursing major student entering the final semester of her senior year with the minimum 3.2 GPA. She was also required to submit an essay explaining why they want to be a nurse and how they would provide care for a patient with anorexia.

“To be awarded a scholarship from The Jamilyn Brierly Foundation for Anorexia Awareness is an honor because I knew Jamilyn personally,” said Szumlicz. “The fact that the scholarship came from an anorexia awareness mental foundation is wonderful because we need more awareness of mental illness in our society.”

While working on attaining her degree, Szumlicz also devotes her time to helping the nursing community. She is part of the Bloomfield College Nursing Student Association, the New Jersey Nursing Students Association, the Nursing Research Team, and is a peer mentor for Bloomfield’s younger nursing students. She was also recently inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing last semester.

The mission of the Frances M. McLaughlin Division of Nursing at Bloomfield College is to engage students in a collaborative educational experience, prepare caring, reflective professional nurses, positively influence and shape healthcare delivery and provide a solid foundation for graduate study. Whichever career path a student chooses, a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Bloomfield College will provide the academic foundation and hands-on experience needed to excel in today’s complex healthcare environment.

“Bloomfield College and the nursing division have helped me to earn this scholarship through the excellent education they have provided me with,” said Szumlicz. “The wealth of knowledge I have acquired from my nursing professors has prepared me to care for any type of patient. My time here has helped me to develop characteristics and overcome obstacles that I never thought I could, not only within the nursing program but in my life as well.”

“Jenna is someone who is dependable and effective in her interactions with others. She already demonstrates the qualities we expect to see in a professional nurse,” said Dr. Neddie Serra, division chairperson of the nursing department. “We are proud to say she will be a Bloomfield College nursing graduate.”

To learn more about Bloomfield’s nursing division, visit bloomfield.edu/academics/degrees-programs/nursing.

© Bloomfield College 467 Franklin St. Bloomfield, NJ 07003 973-748-9000