FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AWARDEE 2023
MARY ANN NEELY BSN RN-BC
Mary Ann was PNAGA's 2020-2022 Assistant Secretary and is currently its President elect. She has been a member since 2004 but when she joined the executive board, her active participation in PNAGA events and her enthusiasm for all projects is quite infectious. Her leadership and boundless energy is palpable. Her fundraising efforts have been successful with her unique ability to engage colleagues in such efforts. She goes the extra mile in making PNAGA events memorable and fantastic. At last year's Nurses Week celebration, she surprised us with a lovely "Run for the Roses Kentucky Derby" banner with 554 red roses. The banner of roses was most impressive and extraordinarily beautiful! To go with that, she prepared a non-alcoholic delicious and refreshing mint julep for everyone to show appreciation to all her fellow nurses.
It is through her efforts that PNAGA have become involved through volunteering and donations to the The Place of Forsyth. This is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide assistance, hope and encouragement to the less fortunate with their food pantry, thrift store, temporary shelter and much much more. Mary Ann volunteers with The Place and has been consistently keeping PNAGA officers and members informed of their needs. She is quick to give of her time, talent and resources to PNAGA as well as at work. She was a tour guide at the mini doctor's museum during Cumming County Fairgrounds 25th anniversary celebration sponsored by Northside Hospital. She also volunteers during the Chattahoochee River clean up.
Mary Ann is a Charge Nurse/Clinical preceptor at Northside Hospital in Cumming. She was also recently appointed Adjunct faculty with the University of Northeast Georgia nursing program.
She was nominated By Lilia Hagler BSN RN.
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AWARDEE 2022
MARY DIOSE RAMOS, PhD, RN
Mary Dioise joined PNAGA in 2015 and by 2016 she was elected as secretary and became member of the executive board. A lady with passion for management and willingness to make a difference she filled the vacuum of leadership when PNAGA needed one. She was elected president in 2018 and successfully headed the 40th PNAA National Convention in Atlanta in 2019. This was a momentous experience and a huge accomplishment where she got an exemplary award on service and leadership from Philippine Nurses Association of America, (PNAA). She also added a healthy financial picture of the association. She continuous to be actively involved with PNAGA as member of the advisory board and currently chairs the education committee. Her expertise in education facilitates all the needed requirements in obtaining certified educational units for our seminars. Mary Dioise excels as an educator and researcher. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University and a Faculty Advisor of the Filipino Students Association of Kennesaw State University. Research publications, obtaining grants, speaking engagements are just few of her added attributes on a regular basis. A recipient of many awards on leadership, educator, research and community service; she exemplifies a well accomplished clinician in the nursing profession. She is well liked by her colleagues and students and PNAGA is very fortunate to have her. She is an example of what you want to be when you grow up except that I already passed that so I guess in my next life.
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE Awardee 2021
ELIZABETH VILLANUEVA RN, MSN, CNA
Ms. Elizabeth Villanueva is the 2021 PNAGA Nightingale Awardee this year. She has been a member of the association since its inception and serves as its first President. Her exceptional loyalty, dedication and unwavering support of PNAGA throughout these many years have not gone unnoticed. She is very generous of her time, talents and resources. She is a constant presence in the community through her countless volunteer hours at our local health fairs and health clinics. She interacts with clients professionally with a smile. She did not miss a day of volunteering for the year long twice a month Hepatitis Screening project. She has also volunteered with the biennial PAMAG medical mission in the Philippines in her capacity as a nurse anesthetist since 1992. These medical mission trips to the Philippines is a labor of love, a true service to humanity and a personal expense expecting nothing in return but the sheer joy of giving and sharing blessings to those that are less fortunate. Additionally, Beth give lectures on healthcare and nursing while on these missions. Beth loves music and she shares that gift with her church as a cantor as well as with PNAGA by leading and organizing successful Christmas caroling and producing entertainment programs during our Induction and Nurses’ Week celebrations. The generosity of Beth knows no bounds. During the 40th PNAA National Convention in Atlanta, she sponsored the very successful picnic/program after the church Mass. She has financially sponsored students to attend lectures and events as needed. She was nominated by Lilia Hagler for this award.
PNAGA Florence Nightingale 2020
Carmencita Capiral Santiago
Mainly known to us as “Menchie” joined PNAGA in 2002. For the past 10 years she was actively involved with PNAGA, and regularly attending SCR and PNAA conferences. She retired in 2014 and continue to join community outreach and PNAGA gatherings She participated in the monthly Chinese Lions Club community outreach, yearly Flu shots vaccinations and other health fair events. In 2018, she received excellent feedbacks after spearheading the registration committee during the 40th PNAA convention. She was also one of the key assistants during the PNAAF/5K Stone Mountain Walk-Up Trail. Menchie also made sure that PNAGA become visible with PNAA by regularly submitting monthly article to the Inside PNAA News. She has started doing this since May 2019 and is continuing to the present. It was not a surprise that she was tapped by our current president Mayflor Chokshi to be the editor in chief of the PNAGA Newsletter for 2020-2022. She was nominated to receive this award by Lorna Buntichai RN and Tessie Saethang and was approved unanimously by the PNAGA Board selection committee.
2019 Nightingale Awardee: Bernabella Bray
Minette Reyes (Administrator) | 04 May 2019 20:26
Bernabella Bray, BSN RN CDE, past PNAGA president and currently serving as the PNAGA Parliamentarian is this year's recipient of the PNAGA Nightingale Award. Berna has demonstrated a phenomenal commitment to excellence in nursing by pursuing a myriad of new skills in various nursing roles. She was a critical care nurse in the CCU for a majority of her nursing career. She worked in Electrophysiology, Case Management and more recently, as a Clinical Documentation Specialist. What is remarkable is that she was certified in every single role she has assumed, rising up to the challenge of being professional about her profession. She has been a mentor and role model to many young Filipino nurses at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital.
Outside of her full time job, she has led the PNAGA in serving the Metro Atlanta community by coordinating resources across multiple health clinics for both church groups and minority populations.
Scholarship Awardees now RNs
Minette Reyes (Administrator) | 04 Jul 2018 19:06
Two of our former PNAGA Undergraduate Scholarship awardees, Marcia Daugherty and Katrina Salud graduated with honors in May and passed their NCLEX-RN exams in June. Marcia was the recipient of the PNAGA Undergraduate Scholarship grant in 2016, while Katrina Salud was the recipient in 2017. They are now full-fledged Registered Nurses.
Katrina Salud RN accepted a job at Atlanta Medical Center Intensive Care Unit while Marcia Daugherty RN is now working at Piedmont Fayette Labor and Delivery Unit.
2018 PNAGA Florence Nightingale Awardee
Anonymous | 10 May 2018 18:32
This year’s recipient deserves the Florence Nightingale Award for the following reasons:
1. She provided humanitarian services to her friends, colleagues, and to the PNAGA by:
Helping coordinate communication of health fairs and free clinics sponsored by the PNAGA
Helping friends that need financial assistance by setting up donation systems and coordinating with other organizations to help them and their families.
Always encouraging other members to be involved in PNAGA activities, especially those who are new to the organization.
Assist older members of the PNAGA to be computer and web savvy in order to keep up with the trends in nursing and healthcare.
2. She brought the PNAGA to the next level by improving our organization’s system.
She organized our membership system by setting it up through an online system
She maintained our website and makes sure that everybody is getting the latest updates about our PNAGA’s events, activities, and programs.
She continued to bring new updates, new information, new things that makes PNAGA innovative, which inspires other Filipino nurses to be involved.
3. She led the PNAGA caroling program, leading a group of nurses to sing Christmas songs at a hospice, and in host homes to raise funds for the organization.
I do know her as a very strong woman who was able overcome adversities after battling Lupus. She has been a member of the PNAGA for 15 years and was the first recipient of our Graduate Nursing Scholarship Award. She received her BSN from St. Louis University in Baguio City, Philippines and her Master of Science in Nursing Informatics from Walden University.
2018 PNAGA Scholars
Anonymous | 10 May 2018 17:20
The PNAGA is proud to announce that the recipients of the 2018 Nursing Scholarship awards are Mr. Mikailo Franco Mamagat for the Undergraduate category and Ms. Stacey (Sado) Le for the Graduate category.
Mr. Mikailo "Mikko" Mamagat is a rising senior at Herzing University and recently named on the President’s List for earning a 4.0 GPA last Fall semester. His two professors from HerzingUniversity gave recommendation letters indicating that he is an outstanding student in all respects and has proven that through hard work, determination and team work, he can accomplish tasks in a courteous and timely manner. They also added that he is very professional, polite and caring, and is well equipped to grow from challenges he encounters during nursing practice. Mr. Mamagat is a current student member of the PNAGA, his mother is also a member of the association for a while and their families have been supportive of the activities of PNAGA.
Ms. Stacey (Sado) Le is a current MSN-Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner student at Mercer University. She received her BSN from Georgia State University in 2009. She is currently working as a staff nurse in WellStar Atlanta Medical Center Intensive Care Unit. Her Nurse Manager recommended her for the scholarship indicating that she’s an extremely compassionate and dedicated individual. She always put the patient first and listen to her patients concerns or needs. She has a tremendous ability to relate to others and make a personal connection with her patients. She was featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution “Youth Movement” last May 2012. Ms. Le is a current member of the PNAGA and she’s been a member of the association since 2013.
2017 PNAGA Florence Nightingale Awardee
Venus Soriano
Nurses’s Week is always an exciting, fun, time. A lot of networking, with new, familiar, and unfamiliar faces, not to mention the many faces of families and other friends. So, this week is not only “Nurses”. It’s also a day to be thankful to parents who nurtured/supported their special child who’s ambition is to be a” nurse.”
Just like any other ambition on “what to be”, you always like to have an inspiring model.
Florence Nightingale is a world-wide name familiar to every nurse. Born in 1820, she is an English nurse, founder of modern nursing, and made outstanding contributions to the knowledge and improvement of public health we now enjoy.
How big an HONOR is it TO RECEIVE A FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AWARD? We could ask someone who will be getting one today. An honor befitting on Nurses’ day!
A tenured nurse, a product of early recruitment, Georgia became her second home 5 years after graduating nursing in the Philippines.
To people she interacts with, she’s well respected and loved as a peer, manager, mother, grandmother, wife, relative, and friend. An uncomplicated lady, with words that could travel a thousand miles! Thus the name “Charlatana” by her colleages! One thing that stands up in her is her drive to ALWAYS maintain a positive image and professionalism of PNAGA.
A well rounded person, she loves to cook, always a joker, always a dancer, and never a singer! She always has the passion for singing but unfortunately, the talent eluded her!
Her years of experience took her up to currently a Unit Coordinator. She received numerous prestigious awards over the years and to name a few:
GHA Nurse Make a Difference Award 1989
March of Dimes – Women Service Nurse of the Year 2010
AMC Nurse of the Year 2011 and Tenet Hero Award 2011
President: PNAGA 1996-1998 (during PNAGA’s formative years)
President: PNAGA 2012-2014 (PNAGA’s 25th Anniversary) Her goal? Increase PNAGA’s transparency and focus on health of our nurses, families and friends.
Community involvement includes:
President: PCFG 1994-1996/2010-2012, Served as President of Fil-Am Association of GA., involvement on Free Clinics offered by Asian community and nursing organization. Her educational and Health Ministry extends to her own hometown in Bugo, Cagayan de Oro.
Happily married to another nurse, mother of 2 beautiful ladies, grandmother of 2 boys lovely boys,
2017 PNAGA Scholars
The recipient of this year's PNAGA Scholarship for Graduate Studies is Leah Magdaraog, BSN RN. She is currently attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham for her Masters in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Leah earned her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from Georgia State University on December 2014. She works for Northside Hospital Atlanta's Pulmonary Thoracic Care Unit.
The recipient of this year's PNAGA Scholarship for Undergraduate Studies is Maria Katrina Salud. She is set to graduate in May 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree Major in Nursing from Clayton State University, and a Minor in Criminal Justice.
Katrina volunteers as a Victim Advocate at the Rape Crisis Center of Grady Memorial Hospital and wants to work in an Emergency Department one day as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.