Kathleen Eviza

Kathleen Eviza, 23, is a brand new member of STTI. A resident of the Philippines, she was inducted into the Pi Iota Chapter at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the virtual Phi Gamma Chapter in March 2015. Eviza’s youth should not be underestimated. Her parents both passed away when she was 7 years old. She had to grow up fast.

“My parents died the same year, 1999. I felt helpless; I could not do anything for them but stare blankly as they were being resuscitated,” Eviza says. “I saw how mom went into a coma for several days after she gave birth to my youngest sister. Days after, she departed.”

The experience of losing her parents motivated Eviza to pursue a career in nursing. “Being a nurse gives me the privilege to take care of something valuable, something complex. Life, that is, from womb to tomb,” she asserts. “No profession other than nursing can encompass such nobility.”

Eviza joined STTI to deepen her knowledge about nursing and global health. She welcomes and embraces the exchange of diverse ideas, not just for her own knowledge, but to benefit those under her care.

One STTI tool that has proven useful for Eviza in her research is the Virginia Henderson Global Nursing e-Repository, providing access to evidence-based research and best practices worldwide. Unquestionably, the e-repository has supported her in continuing her nursing education. Her current research is embodied in the following concepts: self-mastery, environmental mastery, grounding, essences, transcendence, and transformation.

Eviza is excited to share her unique research at STTI’s upcoming 43^rd Biennial Convention in Las Vegas, Nev., USA. Her phenomenological undertaking, entitled “Essence-Driven Leadership: Illuminating the Lived Experiences of Chief Nursing Officers,” was selected from thousands of abstracts.

Overjoyed to be chosen, Eviza was unsure how she would manage airfare to the United States, much less registration and accommodations. She applied for the Edith Anderson Leadership Travel Grant through STTI which, along with other funding, will help defray her expenses.

“I am a nurse from a developing country. Being a part of STTI was just an unimaginable dream before,” Eviza says. “There were so many setbacks and hurdles especially with my age and financial resources, but I kept dreaming. And yes, I’m proud I believed and I finally did.”

Kathleen currently works as an Assistant Nurse Unit Manager for the Operating Room – Main Department at St. Luke’s Global City, Taguig, Philippines.