Patient advocate, caregiver, and educator, Kriti Hada (N ’17), owes her success as a registered nurse to Shenandoah University’s generosity: “Shenandoah gave me the gift of education. Today, I have a stable job where I work happily. As SU spread out their hands to me when I was in need, I feel honored to be a small help towards SU to achieve its goals.”
Originally from Nepal, where she and her three sisters were raised by their mother, Hada found her way to Winchester through The Little Sisters Fund, which is a nonprofit organization that works to empower economically disadvantaged Nepalese girls through mentoring and education. Once at Shenandoah, it took her awhile to decide what she wanted to major in, but found her place as a nurse when she began clinical rotations through the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing.
“Nursing has been a rewarding profession,” said Hada. “The biggest reward of all is when I get to see improvements in a patient’s health conditions and when the patients overcome their deficits and weakness from medical conditions.”
As a resident assistant, a student body organization member and a student employee, Hada learned about leadership, communication and time management. She was also impacted by her Global Citizenship Project trip to the Philippines where her group visited hospitals. Hada attributes her success with her resume and cover letters to Career Services and was grateful for the opportunity to do clinical rotations in two different locations.
In May 2021, she started working as a Neuro ICU nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital. Prior to this she was a registered nurse on the neurosurgical floor at Winchester Medical Center, where she worked with patients with neurological disorders, strokes, epilepsy and traumatic brain injuries. She hopes for more affordable healthcare in the future.
Hada continues to work with The Little Sisters Fund as a coordinating mentor and a now a sponsor. She is looking forward to working more closely with the Shenandoah community.
“I believe, ‘Every action has an equal reaction.’ I hope with our giving we are working towards a better future.”