Zara Mattox is carving out a future all her own. As a Filipino single mother raising three children, caring for her senior relatives, and working in the health care industry, she hopes to inspire others by demonstrating that success is possible at any stage of life.
Before pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), Zara gained extensive experience through various health care-related roles. Her vocational path, which began at the front desk of a pediatric practice and progressed to serving as a bedside nurse, eventually led her to become a registered nurse at Banner Health, where today she serves as an RN Operations Support Specialist for Women and Infants Services.
Braving The Storm
Becoming a health care practitioner was not Zara’s original plan. However, while she was pregnant and going through a divorce, she needed to provide for her family and explored options that offered stability. During this time, her grandmother, who adopted her at a young age and immigrated with her to the United States from the Philippines, also passed away.
Although Zara is now settled into her new life in Glendale, Arizona, and is thriving at Banner Health, her journey has been complex and challenging.
When she finished high school, she quickly got married, had children, and became a homemaker. She admits she had no skillset to enter the workforce unless she wanted to be a nanny.
“The divorce made me realize the need to financially support my kids, but it also demonstrated how important education is,” she explains.
Zara found the strength to keep going when all the odds were against her. She says once she sets a goal, she is unstoppable.
“You just have to continue doing it, especially with the kids,” she says. “My daughter was in kindergarten, and I was pregnant with my second child, and it was one of those circumstances where I couldn’t stop.”
Learning Fuels Progress
Zara fell in love with her work while serving in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which led to her current role. Her work comprises supporting the onboarding of new hires, system and facility process improvements and updates, and associate engagement and retention.
Although Zara is actively working in her desired career field, she was eager to gain new insights. The health care industry is continually expanding, providing countless possibilities for learning as new technology, improved research, and medical advances arise. For this reason, Zara is passionate about honing her skills and staying up-to-date on the latest practices. This led her to explore opportunities at college so she could expand her experience.
That’s when Zara discovered the Banner Health/UAGC BSN Full Tuition Scholarship and applied.
“I thought, ‘Hey, it’s worth a shot,’” she recalls. “Let me apply and see where it goes,’ and miracle of miracles, I was chosen to be a recipient. I was like, ‘Whoa, it’s really meant to happen.’”
Zara took advantage of the new opportunity. Attending online college allows her to manage her family obligations, career, and coursework on her own terms. She says studying at her own pace and the flexibility that comes with virtual learning has made all the difference. But that doesn’t mean Zara hasn’t faced obstacles. Like many students, she experiences test anxiety, except her exam trepidation is so severe that she even forgot her name once. Despite her test anxiety, she’s remained a proficient pupil throughout her educational path.
“I still have that initial nervousness and anxiety when I first start a test, but I don’t feel as sick going through the test,” she says.
Now, Zara is discovering ways to implement what she is learning in the online classroom at her workplace.
For example, when she took her scientific writing course, Zara used that knowledge to create a standard operating process for antenatal breast milk at Banner Health. This process helps women and infant services understand the necessary steps when parents bring in breast milk before their baby is delivered.
“We actually didn’t have a process for that, but we do have some patients that will self-express breast milk, and they want to give it to their baby when they’re first born,” she says. “We didn’t have a policy or protocol as to who takes care of it, where to store it, how to do this, or how to do that. So, I used my scientific writing class to help formulate a method of what we needed to do.”
Hope For Tomorrow
A gift for healing runs in Zara’s family. In fact, her middle child works in the medical field at the same hospital as her mom. Still, Zara made it clear to her daughter that she must earn her place in the health care industry without expecting any partiality.
“She worked in pediatrics as a CNA after she graduated high school, and she was with them for about a year and a half or two years, but I always pulled her in every time I did something in my NICU, such as activities and things of that nature. She really fell in love with the work that we do. She applied herself and made the transition.”
Zara admits that nursing is hard work. But she serves as an inspiration for her children by following her own goals and never settling for a career that does not feel rewarding.
“I just want them to find a career they find as fulfilling as I do,” she says. “I want them to be happy to come to work, have friends at work, and to feel like they’re doing some semblance of change in their life and other people’s lives.”
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Applicants to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UAGC must possess an active, unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse in at least one U.S. state. All students must maintain this licensure throughout the program of study.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UAGC is not designed to meet the state educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification in any state.