Barbara Cardoza was getting ready to transfer into the School of Nursing in 2023 from a Houston College when a friend invited her to a multicultural Friendsgiving celebration thrown by the Hispanic Nursing Student Association (HNSA).
The person who invited her, Alexander Claros, eventually became president of HNSA while Cardoza is now the vice president.
“HNSA has really been a home away from home,” said Cardoza, who was awarded the $8,000 Roger and Barbara Powell Scholarship for Nursing. “I’m a first-generation student, so being able to find an organization that has people with a similar background as me – not only culturally, but goal-wise – just felt very comforting.”
Cardoza, now a second-semester junior, said she’s amazed by the broad range of students who are members: from freshmen to seniors from all different walks of life.
“It was great to have multiple mentors and multiple events where we can serve the greater community,” she said. “Just being a part of HNSA has been very rewarding. If there’s one thing that’s been a consistent part of my life in college, it’s been HNSA.”
HNSA has a diverse membership and is open to all students regardless of race, said Dr. Janice Hernandez, HNSA’s director. Hernandez said the key aspect to the organization’s popularity among students is its mission.
“(HNSA) guides students to become leaders and advocates in the community,” said Hernandez, DNP, APRN, FNP-C. “We support college and high school students who are interested in becoming nurses. Our goal is to help the community, and everyone’s invited.”
The program has had a major impact on Austin, as members of the organization work with local churches to educate their members on heart disease and diabetes.
Angela Oxford, the food pantry manager for St. Louis King of France Catholic Church in Austin, said HNSA members interact with her clients, teaching them about nutrition, measuring blood pressure and blood sugar and providing them with healthy recipes.
“One of the things we’re blessed to have is having them come here,” Oxford said. “They come to talk about diabetes or blood pressure, because a lot of people are affected by it. It makes people realize that they may have a problem.”
Oxford said that one time, HNSA was providing blood pressure and blood glucose checks on a woman whose numbers were too high, and they sent her to the hospital.
“We’re not always very conscious of our health, so for me, HNSA has had a really good impact,” Oxford said.
“Our mission is to support people of all communities who don’t have access to healthcare,” Hernandez said. “All over Texas, we do what we can.”
That mission takes many forms—from partnering with the American Heart Association and offering hypertension screenings to teaching community members hands-only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). HNSA has also collaborated with libraries in East Austin to provide blood glucose and blood pressure screenings and launched “Get Moving” nature walks to encourage physical activity, Hernandez said.
HNSA also focuses on nursing education for its members. That can range from helping first-generation college-bound students and giving college tours to creating a day in the life of a nursing student program that gives students insight into the career for which they are training.
HNSA also works with students who are seeking to transfer into the School of Nursing, such as tutoring them in courses such as chemistry that they need to get accepted into the school.
Hernandez, who earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the School of Nursing, draws on her journey to encourage students to believe in their potential.
“I tell my students to believe in yourself, own your potential and go after your goals,” Hernandez said.