NDSU doctoral nursing student Brittany Frank has been selected to receive the prestigious Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare scholarship. The scholarship is for $10,000 over two years.

“The Jonas Center has provided me with the opportunity to focus on my education and live my dream of becoming a family nurse practitioner and educator. I am extremely grateful and honored to represent NDSU,” Frank said.

The Jonas scholarship is part of a national effort to stem the faculty shortage and prepare the next generation of nurses. Frank, who is from Benson, Minnesota, is the third NDSU student to receive the scholarship. She joins previous recipients Amanda Johnson in 2012-14 and Kayla Chesley in 2014-16.

Frank plans to be a nurse educator at a university, and she describes educating and supporting future nurses as a humbling experience. “My role will be educating patients and families on disease prevention and healthy living. Wellness and illness prevention is key to lowering health care costs and improving quality of life,” she wrote in her essay submission. “Finding ways to reach my patients and inspire them at a personal level is exhilarating.”

Dean Gross, director of NDSU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, said, “Brittany is a genuinely pleasant individual who brings a high level of enthusiasm to the Jonas Scholarship. She is academically gifted with a passion for nursing and the patients she sees in the clinic.”

The NDSU Jonas Scholars are among more than 1,000 future nurse educators and leaders at 140 universities across all 50 states supported by Jonas Center programs. The scholarships support nurses pursuing doctorates or Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees.

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