Natalie Titcomb
Camarillo, Calif., Sept. 20, 2016 — CSU Channel Islands (CI) senior nursing student Natalie Titcomb has been awarded a CSU Trustees’ Award at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 20 in Long Beach.
Titcomb is one of 24 CSU students to be awarded a scholarship of $6,000 to $12,000 in recognition of their superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and financial need.
The scholars include one student from each of CSU’s 23 campuses, along with the top-scoring scholar in the CSU-wide system.
“The accomplishments of these determined, bright and compassionate students are remarkable,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. “These scholarships will help them go on to accomplish even greater things on their campuses, their communities and California’s future.”
Titcomb, 21, said she is honored to receive a scholarship to help her finish her senior year in CI’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.
“It’s going to be very, very helpful,” Titcomb said. “I have a single mom so I’ve always relied on scholarships for school. I do a lot of community service I wouldn’t be able to do without the Trustees’ award.”
Titcomb said the committee is helping her finish nursing school while allowing her to help hundreds of other people through tutoring and health programs.
While carrying a full academic load, Titcomb also volunteers her nursing skills at the Frances Huggins Community Health Clinic in Oxnard, a formerly dilapidated trailer that nursing students converted into a health clinic for homeless and low income residents.
Titcomb also tutors at a nearby annex that is part of Oxnard’s Saint Paul Baptist Church where about 30 other CI students from varying disciplines also volunteer their time.
“Many of the people I tutor are farmworkers’ children,” she said. “We serve up to 25 kids a day. It doesn’t seem like tutoring is something related to nursing, but part of a nurse’s job is education.”
In addition, Titcomb works at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as a Care Partner in the Cardiovascular Acute Care Unit of CHLA’s Heart Institute.
“I work with children of all ages, from neonates to teenagers, who have undergone cardiac surgery and heart transplants,” Titcomb said. “I do feedings and baths, educate their parents on how to bathe their children after heart surgery, and since I work night shift, I rock quite a few babies to sleep every night.”
As if that weren’t enough, Titcomb is also active in two honors societies and three clubs. She believes all of it is helping her pursue her dreams of becoming a pediatric nurse.
Assistant Professor of Nursing LaSonya Davis-Smith, DNP, who works closely with Titcomb, called Titcomb a “natural born leader.”
“It’s not often that a student nurse will develop a commitment to a community very different from her own,” Davis-Smith said. “Although she does not even speak the language of some of the people she helps, she continues to think of ways to serve the needs of others and to improve health and wellness outcomes in Oxnard. I am excited to see what the future holds for this phenomenal future nurse leader.”
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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.