Kristin DeArruda Wharton
Kristin DeArruda Wharton got some good news this week.
Splendid news.
On March 21 the Bush Fellowship announced its 2017 Bush Fellows and Kristin DeArruda Wharton was one of 24 leaders chosen for their record of achievement “and their extraordinary potential to make significant contributions in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and 23 Native Nations that share the same geography.”
“The 2017 Bush Fellows are extraordinary leaders who make significant contributions to their communities,” said Bush Foundation President Jennifer Ford Reedy. “The Bush Fellowship is both a recognition of their accomplishments and a bet on their potential to make an even bigger impact on our region.”
“I was honored and humbled to receive the Bush Fellowship,” DeArruda Wharton said. What are your upcoming goals?
“My plan for the Bush Fellowship is to become a stronger leader for rural health. Local health care is so important. Our hospital, clinic, and EMS have operated mostly independently and accountable to our community members for many, many years. This is not the case in most rural communities. If rural communities lose our health care, we lose the backbone of our ability to live and do business in our remote area. I want to be a part of the future of health care in our community and a voice for the needs of rural communities.”
The Fellowship lasts up to two years and comes with a monetary reward. DeArruda Wharton said, “I will use the majority of my fellowship funds to pursue education to become a family nurse practitioner. As a nurse practitioner, I’ll be able to provide primary health care for pregnant moms, babies, children, families, adults, and seniors.”
Applying for a Bush Fellowship is an ordeal in itself. Kristin recounted the process.
“My first application was due in September 2016. There were three rounds, and the final ended with a half-day in-person interview in St. Paul. It was a very intense interview process with some amazing interviewers and also several other very impressive finalists. Overall, the application process was very time consuming and also very worthwhile. I learned a lot about myself and had a chance to think about who I am and how I could have a greater impact in our community. I would encourage anyone who has any inkling of interest to apply. I’d be happy to talk with you or help you have an idea of what to expect. Cook County and Grand Portage have some amazing leaders!”
What are your goals and how do you hope to achieve them through this fellowship?
My three leadership goals are to pursue education as a family nurse practitioner with additional study in nutrition and mind-body medicine, identify rural health systems and communities which integrate community sources of health and vitality into the health care system, and to increase my network of mentors so that I can be a strong practitioner and a stronger advocate for rural health policies.
I hope to work in some of these rural health systems during the clinical part of my nurse practitioner program. With all of the changes in health care at this present time, there is no shortage of opportunities to advocate for our rural health care needs as well as our community health centers. I don’t know if we realize how fortunate we are to have a community health center in our area and to have sliding scale funds to assist many people. These things are in jeopardy with federal health care changes, and I look forward to taking a greater role in advocating for the health care needs of our community and for funding of the community health centers program which serves rural and underserved areas as safety net clinics.
You have a full-time job, a fulltime family and have been very active in the community. It seems your box is pretty full. Will you cut back on something (sleep?) for the next year or two?
I’ll be reducing my work at the clinic in the fall as I begin nurse practitioner program. The program expects students to spend at least 50 hours per week, so I will need to cut back. But my family and I will still be around, and I will continue to be involved over the next two years of the fellowship. Maybe I’ll get to help at the farmers market more often with Nick and the kids!
It is exciting and also very daunting now to think through all of the changes for myself and my family in order to move forward with the nurse practitioner program and my leadership goals.
Bush Fellowship
The Bush Fellowship provides people with up to $100,000 over 12 to 24 months to pursue learning experiences that help them develop leadership skills and attributes. The Fellowship is distinctive in its flexibility, allowing each Fellow to articulate what he or she needs to become a better leader. Fellows can use the funding to pursue advanced education, networking opportunities, and leadership resources, workshops, and training.
A total of 639 people applied for the 2017 Bush Fellowship. These 24 Fellows were selected through a multi-stage process involving Bush Fellow alumni, Bush Foundation staff and established regional leaders. Applicants described their leadership vision and passion and how a Bush Fellowship would help them achieve their goals.
The Bush Foundation will accept applications for the 2018 Bush Fellowship beginning August 15, 2017. The Bush Fellowship is open to anyone age 24 years and older who lives in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or one of the 23 Native nations that share the same geography.
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