PASCACK VALLEY—Park Ridge High School’s Giselle Velazquez and Pascack Valley High School’s Morgan Jones, aiming to succeed in the medical field, have been helped along by scholarships in memory of Dominique Ann Franco.
Each senior received a $2,500 scholarship from Dominique’s Journey.
On Feb. 16, 2019, third-year nursing student Franco, 21, died suddenly at the University of Rhode Island, leaving hundreds of family members, friends, and acquaintances in shock and grief.
Her funeral Mass, at Our Lady Mother of the Church in Woodcliff Lake, drew nearly 1,000, including her sorority sisters. President of her sorority chapter, Zeta Tau Alpha, she was a graduate of PRHS, class of 2016.
Her parents, Gina and Mike, and their family, through the Dominique Franco’s St. Jude’s Journey foundation, have continued to support Tomorrow’s Children at Hackensack Hospital in memory of Dominique, who was an ardent supporter of the cause of children’s health.
Gina told Pascack Press of the scholarship, “This is a charity my daughter began a toy drive for at 16 and continued even when she was in college at URI for nursing.”
She said Dominique organized her first fundraiser at 7, passing along thousands of dollars for cancer research at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Tomorrows Children’s Fund and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She raised funds against children’s cancer for nearly 15 consecutive years.
“Dominique’s dream job was to work at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. She felt she could provide care and love to the children being treated there and be a source of strength and support for the parents and families as well,” said Gina.
The scholarship is open to senior students who want to pursue a degree in the medical or healthcare field.
“Dominique was well on her way to changing the world and we would like to be a part of helping others achieve this dream,” Gina said.
Morgan Jones: “What did the doctors see?
Jones said in her scholarship essay that she intended to make a difference in the world “not for myself, but for the other families who have been through what my family has been through. I lost my older sister, Shannon Jones, when I was 6 years old. She died from a diffuse insentric potine glioma when she was only 7 years old.”
Jones said, “What my young mind didn’t understand is why. Why did that happen? What could we have done to prevent it? I remember researching what her disease was and trying to understand what had happened, but what I was really curious about is the clinical aspect of it, what did the doctors see?”
She said, “Her memory is what is driving my determination and focus on pursuing a career in the medical field.”
Jones said, “I have already jumpstarted my career by volunteering on the River Vale Ambulance Corps as a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). I decided I wanted to become an EMT as soon as possible because it was the youngest age I could do something to help other people and my community.”
She said “What I noticed about riding in the ambulance is that I always catch myself smiling after we drop off the patient to the hospital, knowing they are in the best care and that we just saved a life. I believe I will carry that attitude to my career in medicine.”
Jones said, “I know I already have brought that attitude volunteering at Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center. I am very grateful that the high school runs an internship program for students interested in getting hands-on experience in a field they are interested in.”
Jones said at the time she submitted her essay, “I go to school in the morning at 7:15 then take my classes until lunch time, where then I will leave school and drive to the hospital. There I will complete many tasks on 4 West, a medical/surgical floor specializing in orthopedic surgeries.”
She said, “It is amazing to interact with patients, attend to their needs, and also give them an outlet for someone to listen/talk to them.”
She added a powerful reflection: “What I noticed, volunteering at the hospital, is that not only are the patients important, but the family members as well because sometimes they are the patients’ best advocates. Some patients are not in good health standing to speak for themselves so family members speak for them, and they are also in need of compassion and support.”
Jones said, “I have learned so much already and I am only at the starting line, there is a vast amount of knowledge and understanding out there for me to learn. I am so grateful and excited to be given this opportunity in my life. I love helping people: being the calm in a storm, support in a crisis, an ear to listen, and a shoulder to cry on.”
She promised, “I do believe I will make a difference in this world and I am starting now.”
Giselle Velazquez: “I knew I could help…”
Velazquez said in her essay, “When I picture myself from five to 10 years from now, I do not necessarily see a doctor’s office or hospital; I see myself helping patients and making a difference in their lives.”
She said, “I have always felt for others and always made sure that those around me are cared for before I focus on myself. Whether it is being there for someone who is going through a tough time or going to the nursing home and making sure the residents are safe. I feel that this fits in the field of nursing. “
Velazquez said, “Most people do not realize that nurses are not only there for patients to do tasks medically but for the comfort and understanding that the patients deserve to receive.”
She said, “In my experience of being in a nursing home, many residents with dementia never really spoke to anyone and were confused and would often feel frightened but there was one resident who I knew I could help. She would always call for someone to assist her but when I spoke to her, she would automatically calm down and I knew I was able to help her make a difference.”
She said, “As someone planning on pursuing nursing, I strongly believe that I have the power to make a difference in one’s life. The change in a person’s life can be a small difference or a large difference, but all that matters is that it changes someone for the better.”
Velazquez said, “When I was younger, I had people influence me to make a difference for the better. This difference can be being there for patients and having connections with them, especially for geriatrics who are in nursing homes. This is a very important skill since patients have different situations going on and the last thing to do in order to make their day is a smile, knowing that you will be there for them in this time of need.”