Luz Horn, CSUF alumna and recipient of the 2023 OLLI Betty Robertson Award, serves as a faculty nurse at her childhood elementary faculty.
Carrying a stethoscope round her neck and wearing a white uniform, Luz Horn remembers listening to a affected person’s heartbeat for the primary time whereas collaborating in a highschool Well being Allied class. That was the second she knew her calling was to develop into a nurse in an academic ambiance.
After highschool, she enrolled at Santa Ana Faculty and earned her affiliate’s diploma in nursing earlier than being accepted to Cal State Fullerton’s College of Nursing.
At this time, the CSUF alumna is a faculty nurse for Horace Mann Elementary College in Anaheim, and the recipient of the Osher Lifelong Studying Institute’s 2023 Betty Robertson Award for her dedication to lifelong studying.
The Betty Robertson Award is granted every year in reminiscence of “The Godmother of OLLI,” who tirelessly labored to create a program for senior residents’ steady studying. The award features a yr’s free membership in OLLI-CSUF and $1,000, which Horn mentioned she intends to make use of towards postgraduate training.
Horn’s path to turning into a nurse was not with out challenges. Language boundaries, racism and household well being points put her training on maintain a number of occasions.
“Regardless of my challenges, I used to be decided to develop into profitable and make a optimistic impression right here within the U.S.,” mentioned Horn, who immigrated to america from Mexico in 1969.
Whereas pursuing her bachelor’s diploma at CSUF, Horn was a single mother caring for her three youngsters and her mom. Throughout her second semester, her mom handed away and Horn’s melancholy loomed over her education. She expressed her gratitude for Elaine Rutkowski, professor of nursing, who was compassionate and helped Horn get again on monitor to earn her bachelor’s diploma in 2014.
Throughout her final semester of undergraduate research, she enrolled in a Neighborhood Well being Nursing class taught by Maria Matza, professor of nursing. Matza requested if Horn wished to volunteer on the Anaheim Elementary College District flu clinics. After volunteering for one month, Horn obtained a name from the nurse supervisor providing a faculty nurse place.
“Little did I do know, I’d develop into the varsity nurse for Horace Mann Elementary. I used to be so completely happy to land on the faculty I graduated from in 1972,” mentioned Horn.
Flipping by shiny yearbook pages, the varsity librarian confirmed Horn photographs relationship again to her childhood and her siblings’ class portraits. “My faculty nurse job permits me to assist households with particular wants youngsters,” mentioned Horn. “My Spanish-speaking abilities are an extra ability that helps this neighborhood.”
Horn returned to Cal State Fullerton in 2019 to finish the varsity nurse companies credential, which prepares nurses to advertise well being and security, intervention practices and supply case administration companies.
After finishing the credential program, Horn determined to pursue her grasp’s diploma in nursing at CSUF.
Horn mentioned she always refers again to safety legal guidelines for youngsters with disabilities, which she discovered within the credential program. She mentioned the legal guidelines apply to her division’s Toddler Preschool Evaluation Workforce and Individualized Household Service plan.
Luz Horn ’14, ’23 (B.S., M.S. nursing)
“My obligations are to carry out imaginative and prescient and listening to screenings, acquire detailed well being histories and request medical information to develop particular person well being plans,” Horn mentioned. “Through the assessments, I establish youngsters’s wants or procedures wanted equivalent to treatment, weight-reduction plan plan, nasogastric tube feeding, ventilator, oxygen or suctioning.”
After graduating together with her grasp’s diploma in nursing in spring 2023, Horn joined the OLLI-CSUF neighborhood to be taught extra about profitable growing old, present affairs, train and fascinating with college life.
“I sit up for making a distinction within the lives of kids and their households, advocating for his or her well-being and making a brighter future for all,” mentioned Horn.
For these embarking on faculty levels later in life, Horn emphasised that it’s by no means too late to pursue any goals and life just isn’t a race.
“Embrace challenges and don’t be afraid to fail. Perseverance is the important thing,” mentioned Horn. “Most significantly, discover pleasure in your ardour and dedication will lead you to success.”
