---
title: From Family Values to Nursing Success at Arizona College of Nursing
url: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/family-values-to-success-at-azcn/"
type: post
date_published: 2025-10-13
date_modified: 2026-04-10
schema:
  @type: Article
language: en-US
word_count: 690
reading_time: 4 min
canonical: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/family-values-to-success-at-azcn/"
featured_image: "https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Virginia-Nursing-Scholarship-Recipient.webp"
categories:
  - Nursing Careers
  - Nursing School
topic:
  - Campus Life
  - Nursing
---

# From Family Values to Nursing Success at Arizona College of Nursing

![Virginia Nursing Scholarship Recipient](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Virginia-Nursing-Scholarship-Recipient.webp)

![cna to rn schools](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/cna-to-rn-schools.webp?w=200)

_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 Amanda Anile as she shares some of her journey to nursing:_

## From CNA to BSN Student

Meet AZCN Values Scholarship Recipient, Amanda Anile, a Nursing Student at the
[AZCN Falls Church Campus](https://arizonacollege.edu/falls-church-nursing-school/)
. Amanda began her career as a certified nursing assistant, and her journey is
shaped by a strong desire to help others and the values instilled by her
immigrant parents.

## Amanda Shares Her Path to Nursing

From an early age, I have aspired to become a nurse, driven by a deep desire to
help others and give back to my community. Growing up in an immigrant family, I
witnessed firsthand the challenges of navigating the healthcare system. My
parents immigrated from Sicily in the 1980s in search of better opportunities,
but like many families new to the country, they were unaware of the healthcare
resources available to them. I remember living in a small two-bedroom apartment
with my siblings and grandmother, watching my mother struggle to access basic
healthcare services such as WIC and Medicaid. Without guidance, she did not
fully understand the importance of preventive care, routine check-ups, or
managing chronic conditions.

![How to get nursing scholarships at AZCN](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/How-to-get-nursing-scholarships-at-AZCN.webp?w=300)

These experiences instilled in me a strong commitment to bridging the gap in
healthcare access and education. I want to be a nurse who not only
[provides high-quality care](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/skills-and-science-lab/)
but also serves as an advocate and educator for individuals who face similar
challenges. No one should have to struggle alone when seeking medical
assistance, and I want to be a resource for those who may feel lost or
underserved.

---

## Q&A with Amanda

**Q:** How did you find yourself at Arizona College of Nursing?

**A:** [Once] I decided to pursue a career in nursing; I searched various
campuses. It took me a few years before I decided that Arizona College of
Nursing was the right fit for me. As soon as I stepped through the doors, I knew
this was the place for me.

**Q:** How was your experience at AZCN when you started?

**A:** I felt welcome when I started. The professors were amazing. Everybody’s
helpful…everybody was welcoming, and it was just an easy campus to get around on
because I like these smaller community campuses. The teacher-to-student ratio
was great for me because I learned better that way. It’s attentive to me if I
need anything, and the teachers are willing and accommodating. That helped me
out and made me feel like I was at the right place.

**Q:** How have you grown through
[your nursing journey](https://arizonacollege.edu/admissions/) at Arizona
College of Nursing?

**A:** I think that this journey has helped me gain more confidence and more
independence, especially after everything that I’ve been through in the past 6
months. Also, it’s a reassurance that I know that I can do whatever I put my
mind to and that nobody’s going to stop me from doing what I want to. I have the
determination, and my parents instilled all those values in me [and set] the
building blocks for me to be successful in life, to gain my own independence and
my own identity, and be the person that I want to be and the person that I am
now.

**Categories:** Nursing Careers, Nursing School