Announcing the 2018 Griswold Annual Scholarship Winner!

Griswold Home Care offers a $1,000 annual scholarship to a qualified student pursuing a bachelor’s, associate’s, graduate, or professional degree at an accredited college or university. Winners will usually have at least a  3.75 GPA, and have experience in caregiving. We would like to congratulate Samridhi Singh as 2018’s Griswold Home Care Annual Scholarship winner!

Read more about Samridhi, how she started on the path to a nursing degree, and what she plans to do with that degree after graduation.

About Samridhi Singh:

My name is Samridhi Singh and I am a freshman majoring in nursing with a psychology minor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. For as long as I can remember, my family used to encourage me to be an engineer, but when I started as an inpatient volunteer at Mary Bridge Hospital, my vision changed completely. I held a toddler in my arms and learned that he had been in the hospital for 200 days, fighting leukemia. When you see the unfair realities of life, it makes you take a deep look at what is versus what can be. Each week, holding those babies warmed my heart as I became entrenched in their joys and sorrows, trials and tribulations, and smiles and tears. It made me wish that they would get to have long, healthy lives ahead of them. Thus I decided to pursue nursing.

Another thing that sent me down the path to nursing was when I completed my CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) training in high school. Since then, I began visiting and volunteering at adult care homes. Adult care is one issue I am passionate about because it is important, yet currently sidelined since our society sadly considers seniors as those who have outlived their utility. Nuclear family systems don’t support the care of aging parents, so although adult homes are a good solution, the care provided varies immensely based on how expensive the facility is. This is quite unfair. I would like to complete my nursing program and specialize in adult care to provide affordable yet ideal care. To this effect, I would like to start a non-profit organization to make available health care services for adults with physical disabilities and/or cognitive impairments and also provide social-emotional support so they do not feel lonely, sad, or uncared for. I’d love to have partnerships with elementary schools, arrange for children to spend time with the seniors, organize music recitals, celebrate birthdays, have partnerships with flower shops and bakeries that can donate goodies – anything to improve the seniors’ mental wellness and quality of life.

I am also aware of how differently the medical system runs in many underdeveloped or developing countries of the world. If you don’t have the money up front for the hospital care that you are seeking, you are not allowed inside the hospital gates. Most hospitals are either massively expensive, while the others are at best mediocre. The care provided is not enough. There are too many patients and underpaid, overworked employees who work unhappily and merely for the paycheck. Therefore, looking at the medical care that is provided here, I appreciate how a person is treated as a person, with dignity and respect. The doctors, nurses, and all hospital staff seem to care about the patient – not only the physical, but also the emotional well-being. They smile, talk to you decently, want to know more about you as a person, and give you the best care possible. They are considerate and have abundant patience. It gives you the feeling of being cared for. Watching my grandparents battle serious health issues and not receive adequate care while living in a different part of the world makes me value the care that is provided here, and I want to be part of this system.

I would like contribute to the nursing profession by bringing in my own insights, using critical thinking in fast-thinking situations to look at the consequences of my actions as well as being able to see the benefits. I truly believe it is essential to help the patients by not only giving them medications but also by talking to them and reassuring them. St. Francis Xavier says, “Be great in little things.” I see myself as a transformational leader, who believes in setting a personal example. I am a doer and staunchly believe in working together to bring our community together. For me, service towards others is the foundation to uplift those around us and I plan to do just that, no matter when, how, and where I am. Being a good human being is most important to me so I not only become a productive individual but also a contributing member of our society.