A Degree Beyond Yourself Campaign Look Book

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hen Samantha Arquiza, dedicated volleyball player and student, was just 14-years-old, she began experiencing neurological symptoms that sent her to the emergency room. After unexplained headaches, nausea, vision loss, and an MRI, doctors at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital diagnosed her with a quarter-size brain tumor.

At a time when most young teens are consumed with trivial matters, Arquiza was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments following neurosurgery to remove the tumor.

It was during one the darkest times of her life that Arquiza first caught a glimpse into the light of hope often referred to when discussing her chosen professional field. Her personal battles were softened by Vanderbilt nurses in the most simple, yet compassionate way– holding her hand.

“It wasn’t just a job for them, it was a calling,” reflected Arquiza. “The nurses really cared about me… I wasn’t just a task they had to complete.”

When Arquiza returned to school, things were different. Although the home tutor she requested while in recovery kept her from falling behind in her studies, she was unable to continue as a student athlete. By her senior year, she had traded afternoons in the gym with the Volleyball team for a newfound passion and membership in HOSA, Future Health Professional.

This student-led organization connected her with other like-minded students wanting to make a difference in healthcare. It was ultimately through her involvement in HOSA, that Arquiza led a fundraiser for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, raising nearly $10,000 in under a month.

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It is no surprise that Arquiza’s passions led her to Cumberland University’s Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions. After four years of intense studying and more than 1,000 clinical hours, Arquiza graduated last December with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a job offer from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Oncology unit.

Arquiza still draws inspiration from the nurses who influenced her personally and the faculty who taught her, hoping to make as much of a difference for others as they did for her.

“I try to mirror that same compassion the nurses had toward me to other people. Because one nurse can really make a difference on a patient’s outcome or quality of living.”

Cumberland’s faculty challenges students to become more confident in their clinical reasoning, and Arquiza believes she is better as a nurse because of that.

Samantha demonstrates on a medical manikin in the Jeanette C. Rudy School of Nursing

“Cumberland really inspired me to go beyond my role, beyond what the textbook says. Cumberland taught me nursing doesn’t just stop inside hospital walls.”

Students at Cumberland are earning degrees that equip them to make a difference across the state and around the world.

“I am not pursuing a degree only to do a job. I am getting a degree to change lives, to change the world, and to change the people around me. I am here to earn a degree beyond myself.”

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Samantha holds the Nightingale Lamp

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