05 Mar Dickinson State University names Student Nurse of the Year
Giselle Ishimwe, a junior nursing student at Dickinson State University (DSU), was named DSU’s Student Nurse of the Year during the university’s annual competition in December. Ishimwe has been selected to represent the DSU chapter of the Nursing Students’ Association at local and state events.
Ishimwe is a native of Rwanda. Her family moved to the United States when she was 15 years old and graduated from West Fargo High School in West Fargo, North Dakota. Ishimwe then obtained a degree in Licensed Practical Nursing from the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) in Wahpeton, North Dakota, in 2018. Giselle is an active member of the DSU chapter of the Nursing Students’ Association and has been involved with other organizations on the campus, including Student Senate and the International Club.
In addition to her school obligations, Ishimwe works as a licensed practical nurse at three different facilities: Villa Maria in Fargo, North Dakota, where she also worked as a certified nursing assistant before becoming a nurse; Sanford Home Health in Pediatrics in Fargo; and at St. Luke’s Nursing Home in Dickinson, North Dakota. Ishimwe drives home to Fargo every few weeks for work and to visit family.
When Ishimwe was asked why she wanted to be a nurse, she responded, “My parents made sacrifices to move all the way here and leave everything behind that they had worked so hard for in order for my siblings and I to get the education we need and to be successful in life. All I have ever wanted out of life is to have a purpose and my purpose is to help others. Nursing is something that you should not just do for pay. It has to be in your heart and you should have a passion for it. When passion meets purpose, success is always guaranteed, and that is called destiny. I was destined to be a nurse.”