WELCOME TO NU XI AT-LARGE CHAPTER

A chapter within Region One of Sigma, Nu Xi at-Large Chapter was chartered in 1992 and is affiliated with three university schools of nursing in the San Francisco East Bay Area: California State University East Bay, Holy Names University, and Samuel Merritt University. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2017-18, Nu Xi at-Large took the bold step of incorporating as a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation in California on November 15, 2017. In recognition of its efforts to engage members and to collaborate with other Sigma Chapters, Nu Xi received its 11th Chapter Key Award in November 2023.

If you are not a member of Sigma or Nu Xi, information about how to join is located HERE

Donate to our Annual Campaign

This year, we are continuing our subsidy support for students with financial needs so they can join Sigma/Nu Xi. We will also be offering our annual scholarships. We are also planning this year to sponsor a training event aimed at helping clinical faculty with the transition from bedside nurse to competent clinical faculty. Your donations will help us meet these three goals.

Please take a minute to contribute to this important campaign. One hundred percent of your donation to this Nu Xi fundraising campaign will go to scholarships and subsidies.

Nu Xi is a tax-exempt organization (Fed tax ID, 82-3108186) as per Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions are used to further our tax-exempt purpose. No goods, services, or benefits other than the joy of giving to a worthy organization are provided in exchange for this contribution.

You can donate at this PayPal link: PayPal Nu Xi or you can mail a check made out to Nu Xi at-Large to: Haesook Kim, PhD, RN, Treasurer, Nu Xi at-Large, 2327 New Lake Place, Martinez CA 94553.

Thank you in advance for your support of the next generation of Nu Xi/Sigma members and leaders.

Scholarship Recipients

SMU Recipients for this year:

 Shabana Ijaz (BSN):  Bibi Shabana Ijaz is in her final semester. She is currently completing her medical-surgical preceptorship at Summit Medical Center, where she continues to build clinical competence and professional confidence. Bibi Shabana demonstrates strong leadership through advocacy, collaboration, and a commitment to community health and health equity. As a student leader and mother, she brings empathy, resilience, and cultural awareness into her nursing practice. Her professional goals include bedside acute care nursing while remaining actively involved in leadership and community-based initiatives that support patient-centered care.

Mirabel Munoz (BSN):  I am a BSN student in my final semester. My passion for women’s and neonatal health began the day I became a mother. An experience that showed me how powerful compassionate nursing care can be during a life changing moment. Pursuing nursing has given me the privilege of supporting patients and families by offering advocacy, reassurance, and respectful care when it matters most. At my university, I serve on the executive board of Advocates for Childbearing, Obstetric, Reproductive, and Neonatal Health, where we focus on professional development, advocacy, outreach, and education aimed at reducing health disparities. Being involved in this organization has broadened my understanding of how to actively engage and support our community. As a future nurse, I strive to provide equitable, compassionate, patient-centered care!

Nuria Garcia Rivera (ABSN Oakland):  I am halfway through my education. I want to express the deepest gratitude for the support in my education. This step in my journey signifies a culmination from a series of jobs that extend from retail, food service industry, caregiving, blood products manufacturing, public health research and now direct patient care. I knew I wanted to be a nurse while working as a medication technician and caregiver for older adults at an assisted living facility. I value dignity in life and independence in care for older adults as healthcare needs evolve along the life span. My goal is to incorporate these values into my care of older adults as a licensed professional. Furthermore, as a first generation Latinx student, I have seen the value of representation through my clinical rotations, as many patients experience language barriers. I am always eager to partake in the care of Spanish-speaking patients to help them in their healing, and I want to continue learning from other cultures to provide culturally inclusive care for all my patients. I admire the monumental role that nurses hold as community healers, patient advocates, educators and care providers. I am ecstatic to be in this journey and join the nursing profession in June 2026.

Courtney Ross (BSN): Courtney Ross is a nursing graduate whose path into the profession was shaped less by traditional milestones and more by resilience, motherhood, and loss. As a mother of two daughters, Courtney pursued her nursing education while balancing parenthood, financial instability, and the daily realities of rebuilding life after hardship. Becoming a nurse was, for her, an act of choosing purpose—not simply a career, but a way of transforming adversity into service. Courtney’s desire to care for others was deeply influenced by losing her brother, an experience that reshaped her understanding of grief, vulnerability, and the irreplaceable value of compassionate presence. That loss taught her that nursing is not only about treating illness, but about meeting people in the moments when life becomes most fragile and uncertain. Throughout her training, Courtney became passionate about trauma-informed care, patient advocacy, and culturally responsive practice—values that reflect both her personal story and her belief in health equity. Courtney hopes to continue her work in high-acuity and emergency settings, where she can support patients and families facing their own turning points. Above all, she carries forward a philosophy of nursing rooted in love for her daughters, reverence for the human experience, and the unwavering conviction that adversity can be transformed into leadership, compassion, and meaningful impact.

Micaela Starr Rougeau (ELMSN Oakland): Micaela is a student in the ELMSN Case Management program whose academic and professional journey is rooted in resilience, advocacy, and service. As a Black/Filipino woman and parent, her lived experiences navigating healthcare and educational systems have shaped her commitment to advancing health equity and culturally responsive care. Prior to nursing, Micaela served as a Special Education Case Manager, demonstrating leadership through tireless advocacy for students and families. Balancing parenthood with graduate study has strengthened her adaptability, perseverance, and dedication to lifelong learning. As a Sigma scholar, Micaela is honored to be recognized for her commitment to scholarship and leadership, and she aspires to become a nurse leader and mentor who advances inclusive, patient-centered healthcare while supporting and uplifting future nurses.

Recent CSUEB scholarship recipients are Dustin Criner (class of Spring 2026, Concord Campus) and Reinica Calmerin (Class of Fall 2026, Hayward Campus).  

Reinica Calmerin: My nursing journey began when I worked as a sitter at a skilled nursing facility during COVID. In those challenging times, I learned that genuine care and communication are at the heart of healing. That experience inspired me to pursue nursing and later earn the Art of Caring award in my LVN school. With a foundation in geriatric care, my path took a beautiful turn when I discovered my passion for pediatrics. Today, I’m an LVN caring for children with special needs at a medical daycare, where I continue to learn and grow each day, using those lessons to provide more thoughtful and individualized care. I also serve as the Fundraising Director for EBSNA - Hayward, creating moments that bring our nursing community closer together. My goal is to keep learning, growing, and serving with the same compassion that first inspired me to become a nurse.