Hartwick College student Ilona van der Ven of Lincolnville, Maine, has received one of the two scholarships available for the 2013 student policy summit, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Van der Ven was chosen to receive the award from a highly competitive pool of applicants from AACN member schools across the country.

The fourth annual summit, to be held March 17-19, will feature van der Ven's essay submission in conference materials. Her essay will also be made available to participants in AACN's 2013 spring annual meeting in Washington, D.C., which is attended by nursing school deans and directors.

Van der Ven is the first Hartwick student ever selected for this esteemed grant. In addition to patient care, van der Ven is also interested in the administrative aspects of nursing, and anticipates learning more during the conference about the federal policy process and nursing's role in professional advocacy.

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