A Voice from the Journey: Remarks from a Billi Odegaard Nursing Scholar
Speech by Candace Pugh, Cohort 2 - 2025 Fundraiser
Introduction
Good evening. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share a little bit of my life's journey. Nursing school is often described as demanding, rewarding, and life-altering, and for me, it has been all of those things. But more than anything, it represents opportunity, courage, and the chance to actualize the calling I have felt for many years.
Before Nursing School
Before I began nursing school at Clackamas Community College, life looked very different for me. I knew life wasn't easy, but I was making it work with four young children while working as a CNA in a Skilled Nursing Facility.
I never thought I would face the challenge of houselessness, never thought I would spend nights sleeping in my truck with my children, and never thought I would have to "live" in a hotel — until I did.
Through it all, there were times I wondered if I would ever be able to pursue this dream. With my whole world feeling upended, I wasn't sure how I was going to begin nursing school, let alone finish it.
Life just seemed to be another enormous obstacle standing in the way of the very thing that would help elevate my family out of poverty — and that was before I had even begun school. The struggles I faced gave me perspective, resilience, and tenacity.
Inspired by the wisdom of the late Beth Doyle, our Associate Degree in Nursing Program Administrator, who encouraged me to take risks, I took a leap of faith and applied for the Billi Odegaard Nursing Scholarship — and I got it.
What Nursing School Means to Me
Since the beginning of my educational journey, nursing has become so much more than assignments, exams, and test anxiety. It's about learning how to care for people in their most vulnerable moments with skill, compassion, and presence.
I'll never forget my first day of clinicals in the hospital. I was petrified and slightly traumatized after watching my nurse attempt three uro-jets and try to replace a Foley catheter with a 22 French that was being more than uncooperative before calling in urology.
Through it all, I had supportive classmates and a rock-solid, amazing clinical instructor who took us under her wing, challenged us, made us think critically, asked thought-provoking questions, and dared us to learn.
Nursing school has tested me in ways I never expected, but it has also given me confidence, purpose, and a community of classmates and instructors who truly support one another. At times, we have carried each other through life's challenges and fought to lift one another up in every way possible. It has shown me that I am capable of anything I set my mind to, and that I am not alone in this endeavor. I have truly found my people!
What the Scholarship Has Meant to Me
The Billi Odegaard Nursing Scholarship has been an incredible blessing. It has eased the financial strain that often comes with being a student and has allowed me to focus more fully on my studies. Above all, it has meant that someone believed in me. It reminded me that others see me and are invested in my success.
That kind of support is rare and powerful. It motivates me to keep pushing forward even on the hardest days, inspires me to do my best, and drives me to someday give back to future nursing students in the same way.
Closing
In closing, nursing school has given me more than just an education — it has given me a purpose. It is shaping me into someone eager to care for patients with compassion, hope, and dignity. The Billi Odegaard Nursing Scholarship is instrumental in making that possible.
I am deeply grateful not only for the financial support, but for the encouragement, belief, and newfound family that comes with it. I look forward to the day I can stand beside my patients and give them the same hope and care that has been given to me on this journey.
Daniel, Viviana, and Tania — congratulations on your tremendous achievement graduating from Clackamas Community College and moving on to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Oregon Health & Science University. Thank you all for the countless times you talked us back from the edge of panic and mayhem.
Shonda and Elza, thank you for your continued support, shared tears, and words of affirmation throughout our first year.
Congratulations to this year's newest cohort — Maryana, Kalsang, and Ellie. Buckle up. This marks the beginning of a journey you will never forget.
To the Billi Odegaard Nursing Scholarship Fund Board, friends, and family: thank you for your incredible foresight in carrying on Billi's legacy. Without your sacrifices and your unwavering love for Billi and her vision, none of us would be standing here today. We are truly standing on the backs of giants, and it is because of your dedication that our success is possible.
Last, and certainly not least, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the gracious donors. Your contributions and continued support for students like me help cultivate the future scholars and nursing leaders of the twenty-first century.
Thank you.
