Dalissa Suprina, a recipient of the Debra Coffman Howe Nursing Scholarship from Palm Health Foundation, knew she would be a nurse at age 12. In 2010, her home country of Haiti was devasted by an earthquake, killing her mother and leaving Dalissa to become the primary caregiver to her grandmother, sick with cholera. Dalissa spent every day at her side, tending to her needs when doctors and nurses couldn’t.
In 2015 Dalissa emigrated to the U.S. She continued to care for her grandmother while she pursued her studies, beginning the nursing program at PBSC with a goal to become a wound care nurse and nurse practitioner working with the elderly.
Today, as a CNA at Delray Medical Center, Dalissa is practicing while she studies, providing the same care to her patients that she did to her grandmother. “Being passionate, understanding, and empathetic is a must when it comes to being a nurse,” she said.
