Scholarship bolsters LPN working her way through school

Meet Salyna Norindr, Good Samaritan Society nurse and Sanford Equity Scholarship recipient

Scholarship bolsters LPN working her way through school

Salyna Norindr grew up in a small town in a family that has endured difficulties but has stuck together. She has seen firsthand the value of loyalty, love and perseverance.

Norindr has taken those values into her job as a licensed practical nurse at Good Samaritan Society – Fargo and is looking forward to keeping them as she advances in her career.

That career got a boost recently when she was named a winner of the Sanford Health Equity in Education Scholarship. As a student at North Dakota State University who is progressing toward a bachelor of science in nursing, news of a $5,000 scholarship was welcome.

“I didn’t have all the finances I needed to go to school so I was reaching out applying for a lot of different scholarships,” Norindr said. “I expected a lot of people would apply for this one because it was so big, but I thought I might as well give it a try. It made me and my family really happy.”

Resources for students: Explore scholarships and sponsorships from Sanford Health

The Sanford Health Equity in Education Scholarship is a targeted financial scholarship program aiding underrepresented and traditionally underserved populations seeking higher education.

Award recipients must demonstrate exceptional character and leadership in furthering their own progress and in enriching the lives of others, especially in service, academics, and community involvement and impact.

For Norindr, her first exposure to nursing was as a certified nursing assistant while in high school in Warroad, Minnesota. She worked at a long-term care location and got to know and love the residents and the work she was doing.

Eventually that led to becoming an LPN and landing a job in Fargo with the Good Samaritan Society, where she now works while also continuing her education.

“I’ve learned a lot of things I didn’t learn in school,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot about the paperwork side of nursing but I’m still getting to practice my nursing skills as well. I feel like everyone has been very helpful and comforting because as a new grad, there is definitely some adjustment.”

Norindr grew up with two sisters, her father and her grandmother in Warroad, and they remain close. “We lean on each other,” is how she put it. In present context it has sensitized her to the community environment she’s working in at the Good Samaritan Society and the help they’ve given her in supporting her career.

“They’ve encouraged me to learn and further my education,” Norindr said. “They’ve been very helpful in guiding me toward what I want to do in the future.”

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Posted In Fargo, Inclusion at Sanford, Leadership in Health Care, Nursing and Nursing Support, Sanford Stories, Scholarships and Sponsorships, Senior Services