College of Nursing Reception Highlights Impact of Scholarship Assistance – UAMS News
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Cristian Villatoro, a student in the College of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia program, is shown with Marla Harris (from left), Ava Coleman and Amanda Spinks of the college’s student services office. Villatoro said he’s grateful not only for financial assistance but also for the emotional support he’s received from the staff, faculty and fellow students in the College of Nursing.
| At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing’s annual reception for scholarship recipients and donors, Cristian Villatoro reflected on how one family’s generosity can have a life-changing impact on others.
“This scholarship has not only lifted my spirits but has also reminded me that I am not on this journey alone,” said Villatoro, a student in the college’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Anesthesia program and a recipient of the Leta Snow Scholarship for students who demonstrate financial need.
“I want to thank the Snow family for its unwavering commitment to nursing students,” he said.
The Sept. 22 reception was an opportunity for the College of Nursing to celebrate the successes of its students and express gratitude for the alumni and community members who have offered their support. Sarah Jane Rhoads, Ph.D., DNP, dean of the College of Nursing, said the scholarship recipients will make important contributions to the nursing field as they move forward in their careers — and that many will take those next steps while serving patients in Arkansas.
Sarah Jane Rhoads, dean of the College of Nursing, speaks to scholarship recipients and donors at the annual reception.Image by Kev Moye
“Your generosity is providing them the ability to better focus on their education without the overwhelming burden of financial hardship,” she told the donors.
Villatoro said he has experienced that burden. His parents are from El Salvador, where they lived in a home with dirt floors and no running water, he said. His mother was at home when she gave birth to his two older brothers about 14 months apart, enduring difficult deliveries and medical complications.
“When I think about that story, it breaks my heart,” he said.
The family immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s, and Villatoro was born in Galveston, Texas. But poverty remained an issue, he said. Villatoro spent his teenage years working to support his family, first as a gas station custodian and later as a grocery store bagger.
“When I would push carts through the parking lot, I would dream about the life I’m living now,” he said. “And then I would ask myself, ‘Am I going to live long enough to know that things are going to be OK?’”
Villatoro said his parents encouraged him to go to college and make a better life for himself, and he eventually earned his degree and began working as a nephrology nurse.
“Then I realized there was still a void I wanted to fill,” he said. “I wanted to become a nurse anesthetist because of my mom’s background with having issues during delivery.”
Villatoro said he is on track to complete the DNP Nurse Anesthesia program in 2027, and he plans to work in labor and delivery so he can provide relief for birthing mothers. He said he’s grateful not only for financial assistance but also for the emotional support he’s received from the staff, faculty and fellow students in the College of Nursing.
“This is the happiest I’ve been because I know I’m working toward something that’s bigger and better,” he said.
The College of Nursing awarded 287 scholarships to students during the 2024-25 academic year, whether through grant funding or through donor assistance.
During the reception, the UAMS Division of Institutional Advancement announced that a new scholarship is being created to honor Patricia Cowan, who retired in late August after serving for nearly 10 years as dean of the College of Nursing.
Donors Nick and Helen Lang provided $25,000 to establish the Patricia A. Cowan, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Endowed Scholarship in Nursing Leadership, and UAMS has since received contributions from several others. The Windgate Foundation plans to match up to $150,000 in gifts made toward the scholarship by August 2026.
“This scholarship has not only lifted my spirits but has also reminded me that I am not on this journey alone,” said Villatoro, a student in the college’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Anesthesia program and a recipient of the Leta Snow Scholarship for students who demonstrate financial need.
“I want to thank the Snow family for its unwavering commitment to nursing students,” he said.
The Sept. 22 reception was an opportunity for the College of Nursing to celebrate the successes of its students and express gratitude for the alumni and community members who have offered their support. Sarah Jane Rhoads, Ph.D., DNP, dean of the College of Nursing, said the scholarship recipients will make important contributions to the nursing field as they move forward in their careers — and that many will take those next steps while serving patients in Arkansas.
Sarah Jane Rhoads, dean of the College of Nursing, speaks to scholarship recipients and donors at the annual reception.Image by Kev Moye
“Your generosity is providing them the ability to better focus on their education without the overwhelming burden of financial hardship,” she told the donors.
Villatoro said he has experienced that burden. His parents are from El Salvador, where they lived in a home with dirt floors and no running water, he said. His mother was at home when she gave birth to his two older brothers about 14 months apart, enduring difficult deliveries and medical complications.
“When I think about that story, it breaks my heart,” he said.
The family immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s, and Villatoro was born in Galveston, Texas. But poverty remained an issue, he said. Villatoro spent his teenage years working to support his family, first as a gas station custodian and later as a grocery store bagger.
“When I would push carts through the parking lot, I would dream about the life I’m living now,” he said. “And then I would ask myself, ‘Am I going to live long enough to know that things are going to be OK?’”
Villatoro said his parents encouraged him to go to college and make a better life for himself, and he eventually earned his degree and began working as a nephrology nurse.
“Then I realized there was still a void I wanted to fill,” he said. “I wanted to become a nurse anesthetist because of my mom’s background with having issues during delivery.”
Villatoro said he is on track to complete the DNP Nurse Anesthesia program in 2027, and he plans to work in labor and delivery so he can provide relief for birthing mothers. He said he’s grateful not only for financial assistance but also for the emotional support he’s received from the staff, faculty and fellow students in the College of Nursing.
“This is the happiest I’ve been because I know I’m working toward something that’s bigger and better,” he said.
The College of Nursing awarded 287 scholarships to students during the 2024-25 academic year, whether through grant funding or through donor assistance.
During the reception, the UAMS Division of Institutional Advancement announced that a new scholarship is being created to honor Patricia Cowan, who retired in late August after serving for nearly 10 years as dean of the College of Nursing.
Donors Nick and Helen Lang provided $25,000 to establish the Patricia A. Cowan, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Endowed Scholarship in Nursing Leadership, and UAMS has since received contributions from several others. The Windgate Foundation plans to match up to $150,000 in gifts made toward the scholarship by August 2026.
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