This is a multi-part series celebrating Arizona College of Nursing students, their stories, and their embodiment of the AZCN values.
In 2023, Arizona College of Nursing established the AZCN Values Scholarship Fund as a way to celebrate our values with our colleagues, our students, and the communities in which we serve. Each time an AZCN colleague recognizes another colleague for demonstrating our values, $5 is added to the scholarship fund. These add up to $5,000 scholarships awarded to students the following year who have demonstrated our values within their communities.
Join us in celebrating 2025 AZCN Values Scholarship recipient, Sabawoon Pohmal, as he shares some of his journey to nursing:
Life as a Falls Church Nursing Student
Meet AZCN Values Scholarship Recipient, Sabawoon Pohmal, a Nursing Student at the AZCN Falls Church Campus. Sabawoon was drawn to the nursing field after seeing firsthand how important health literacy is, especially in underserved communities.
Watch Sabawoon’s video here:
A Passion to Serve
My journey into nursing is built on love, loss, and a deep desire to serve others. I was born and raised in Afghanistan, where access to healthcare was extremely limited and health literacy was nearly nonexistent. Like many families in my community, mine struggled to understand illness, and where to seek help, a reality that forever changed our lives.
My mother lived for years with undiagnosed diabetes. We didn’t know the signs. We didn’t understand the risks. By the time her condition was discovered, it had already progressed to kidney failure. I remember the fear in our home as we watched her deteriorate, unsure if she would survive. We almost lost her. That helplessness not from lack of love, but from lack of knowledge and resources left a deep wound in me. It also gave me purpose: I knew one day I wanted to help prevent other families from going through what mine did.
Before coming to the United States, I served as a translator for the U.S. coalition forces in Afghanistan. That work taught me the power of communication, trust, and cultural connection. After my service, I immigrated to the U.S. through the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, with a dream to start over, build a future, and make a difference.
Today, I am a full-time nursing student, a husband, and a proud father to a joyful two-year-old daughter. My wife and I are both students, and though we are working hard every day, we are going through serious financial hardship. We rely on limited support and stretch every resource to provide for our daughter while staying focused on our education. It’s not easy, but everything we do is for her and for the future we want to build for our family and our community.
The Arizona College of Nursing’s mission to prepare students for service to society resonates deeply with me. I want to serve in communities where people often feel forgotten about those facing homelessness, poverty, or lack of access to healthcare. My goal is to combine strong clinical skills with compassion to make a tangible difference, not only in hospitals but also through outreach programs and health education.
Q&A with Sabawoon
Q: Where did your nursing journey start?
A: Growing up, I always felt that in my family and back home living in a Third World country and having complications with healthcare and understanding healthcare that I wanted to know more. It is always hard to get into healthcare in any country. But I saw my family members have health complications that could be very preventable and saw [that we did not] have the right education and information.
I got the opportunity to work with the [U.S. coalition forces in Afghanistan] as a translator and I got lucky through that pathway that I could get a visa and come to America. When I came, I knew I wanted to do this. It took me a while to figure out the education system because everything was new…but I kept going and found Arizona College.
Q: How did you know Arizona College of Nursing was the right fit for you?
A: I knew I wanted to be in healthcare and when I did my research, I could not find a more perfect and diverse place than nursing. There’s room everywhere, there are jobs everywhere, and I was surprised at the amount of opportunities a nurse can have…One day I saw Arizona College and my brother and I, who is also going to be a nurse, thought it was too good to be true. We talked to the staff and they were so energetic. The process was so seamless and they take care of everything, you just have to show up to class and do the work. All the other stuff is taken care of which for someone born and raised here may not be a big deal but for me, it was. I didn’t have to worry about all of the other stuff, I could just study and focus on my education.
My whole family goes to Arizona College of nursing. My brother, my sister-in-law, my wife, and I all joined, and it has been perfect. Arizona College of Nursing has helped us with all the hours and we even went to many of the same classes. [For my brother and sister-in-law], since they have kids, clinicals were hard to manage, but they did a great job.
Q: What is your biggest passion as a nurse?
A: The nursing job itself is a passion. Showing up, helping out, and talking to people has been great. [Nurses] are so helpful and while doing my clinical preceptorship, I learned that this is such an important job. People rely on you and I am really glad I chose this. It is exhilarating and exciting, but you’re also saving people. You have so much responsibility and it’s so exciting to help people out. I feel empowered, really responsible, and never get bored of the job.
For our kids, especially being born here and having all the opportunities we didn’t have, I want to see them be great nurses or be in the medical field. Regardless, I want them to take the opportunities to be educated.
Q: What is the value scholarship mean to you and how’s it impacting you?
A: Personally, it impacts not just me, but my family. The moral support I got from this is awesome. It has been a hard journey and just being recognized for it is one of the accomplishments I’m going to be proud of throughout my life. The Arizona College Values Scholarship has had a great impact in my life and it’s given me such a great boost of energy that I never had before.
Start Your Future in Nursing Today
If you’re considering a career as a registered nurse (RN), Arizona College of Nursing is here to help you pursue your dream. Our BSN program enables you to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in just 3 years or less with qualifying transfer credits. We’ve helped hundreds of students to earn a BSN degree and enter the nursing profession – and we’re ready to support you on your path to becoming an RN.
Why Choose Arizona College of Nursing?
- Earn a BSN degree in 3 years or less with eligible transfer credits
- Campus locations throughout the US
- Night classes for general education courses
- Hybrid Online/In-Person format for general education classes
- Nursing education is all we do
- CCNE-Accredited Program*
- NCLEX-RN success coaches and exam preparation class
- Financial aid available to those who qualify
Discover Your Path to a Career in Nursing
Information in this post is accurate as of August 3, 2026.
*The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program at Arizona College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (https://www.aacnnursing.org/). All Arizona College of Nursing and Arizona College campuses are institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (https://www.abhes.org/), a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency.