A first-generation student at the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing who speaks three languages and works as a nursing attendant can add an honor society membership to his repertoire.
Leon Zheng, a senior from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, who is the president of the Hunter-Bellevue Nursing Student Association, has been accepted into the National Student Nursing Association Leadership University Honor Society. Zheng will be recognized in April at the national conference in Houston, TX.
“We congratulate Leon on this outstanding achievement,” said Joan Hansen Grabe Dean of Nursing Dr. Ann Marie Mauro.
The honor society provides leadership development activities for students. Honorees also are recognized at the organization’s conference.
“As you transition to your future role as a registered nurse, you will be prepared to participate in shared governance as you begin your nursing career as well as in professional nursing and community organizations,” National Student Nurses Association President Ryan Barrett wrote to Zheng. “You are well on your way to forming your professional identity in nursing.”
The honor underscores Hunter’s position as an anchor institution and high-impact training ground for the state’s best nurses and promoter of health equity for all populations. Hunter was ranked third out of 210 nursing schools in New York and in the top 10% nationally by nonprofit news site RN Careers. Our master’s program is also ranked 43rd in the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools.
Zheng works as a per-diem nursing attendant at NYU Langone – Brooklyn after having completed an externship this past summer in the Emergency Department. He also counsels high-school students about college with Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island – Horizons Academy.
His language skills in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Fuzhounese are extremely useful in his community, where many patients speak Chinese and Fuzhounese, and he serves as a quick interpreter for patients at NYU Langone – Brooklyn.
“Finding an interpreter for Fuzhounese is difficult, so having someone who’s able to communicate in Fuzhounese allows them to feel welcome and heard, and hastens their recovery, which is one of my main goals of becoming a registered nurse,” Zheng said.
Zheng serves his fellow students as a general and an organic chemistry peer mentor, a peer teaching assistant, a tutor, and a nursing-genetics peer mentor. He moderates the Hunter College Subreddit and serves on the Undergraduate Academic Requirements Committee in the Hunter Senate.
About the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing
The Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing’s mission is to cultivate collaborative nurse leaders promoting wellness and championing health equity in diverse local and global communities through excellence in education, research, scholarship, and advocacy. Its vision is to shape nurse leaders advancing health equity for a thriving, healthier world.
