FNSA Board of Directors 2020-2021

Florida Atlantic University

My name is Nicole Petro and I am the 2020-2021 FNSA President! I attend Florida Atlantic University and I am a Junior in my nursing program! I also am the Vice President of my local SNA chapter and my college’s Student Council of Nurses! As the President I help coordinate with all of the positions on the board! I am the chairperson of the Executive Committee and I help with other committees when needed! I coordinate meetings and set agendas. I act as a liaison between the other board members and the faculty advisors when needed as well. 

I believe this position requires good communication and teamwork skills! I believe the board consists of a bunch of leaders so we all work together in a collaborative way to make everything run smoothly. A good leader is needed for this position and also a lot of patience! 

I have also held the position of FNSA treasurer in 2019-2020 which really tested everyone’s ability to adjust to the new virtual world! Planning a virtual convention was very hard and coordinating fundraising as the treasurer was even more difficult as everyone was facing financial uncertainty and still may be.

Florida Atlantic University - Davie

My name is Abigail Olmeda. I am the FNSA 2020-2021 1stVP. I attend Florida Atlantic university and I am a senior in the 2nd Bachelors degree in nursing program. My first bachelors degree is in biology. I love being involved in the community and with my peers. I am currently the class representative of my local SNA chapter. Other pertinent positions I currently hold include, President of a brand new student organization at my college called the minority nursing student organization, which takes a deep dive into ALL voices unheard or silenced in our community and amongst our peer; I am on the council of inclusivity, diversity and equity as well as a member of student council of nursing at FAU and SIGMA honors society.

My position with FNSA entails stepping in when the president is unable to attend, editing and submitting bylaws as well as state constituency applications to each district and work closely with my president to see if there is anything more I can do to help. In this position I have learned a lot about bylaws and constituencies as well as about myself and other leaders. I have been able to expand my mind and critical thinking effort to help those that surround me.

After graduation I hope to begin working on a pediatric unit to become comfortable enough with my skills to go back to school for my DNP. I eventually want to go into research for autoimmune diseases in the pediatric population.

I encourage everyone to get involved at your local and state level. It is a wonderful experience and great opportunity to broaden horizons. Happy nursing!

Palm Beach Atlantic University

Hello, everyone! My name is Katie Hernandez and I am your 2020-2021 FNSA Second Vice President. I am a senior in the BSN program at Palm Beach Atlantic University. I am also the president of PBA Freediving Club. After graduation, I plan to continue working on my hospital’s cardiac step-down unit as I work toward my DNP.

As the Second Vice President, some of my duties involve being Chairperson of the Committee on Conventions and Programs and helping out with any other duties needed. Being in this position includes helping to plan this year’s Annual Convention, and finding awesome people in leadership roles to help inspire you as nursing students! Students interested in this position can benefit from it. This is a great way to step into a leadership role that will challenge you to be creative and take charge of the direction you and your fellow board members want to go. It is an amazing opportunity to network and meet like-minded people who will encourage you to be your best!

University of North Florida

Hello everyone! My name is Jordan Hoprich and I am in my last semester of nursing school at the University of North Florida. I am originally from Columbus, Ohio (go Buckeyes!).

I am your FNSA Corresponding Secretary. A few details that pertain to my position are as follows: I am the Chairperson of the Committee on Image of Nursing, which involves increasing public media presentations of nurses as professionals to promote a positive image of nurses and of the profession. I create the state's FNSA Hotline, a newsletter available to all student members. I also serve as the Awards Coordinator for convention and select judges from a pool as voted on by the Executive Board, and keep all official correspondence for FNSA. I think a prospective student can benefit from this position, as it requires attention to detail, leadership, and delegation skills, and is an overall great way to network amongst your fellow board members and students state-wide. Students can manage their time while holding this position by creating a realistic plan for the day (or week) and sticking to it! Of course, don't forget to pencil in some time for yourself; we nursing students often forget to create time for self-care!

Florida Atlantic University

Florida State University

Hello! My name is Emily Stock and I am a second-semester nursing student at Florida State University and I serve on the FNSA board as Region 1 Director. As region 1 director I work to better facilitate communication and involvement between the Florida board and school chapters of SNA in my region. This position is a great way to get involved in SNA and to dip your feet into nursing leadership positions! I also serve in the Student Leadership Council for FSUs College of Nursing which helps to engage current students with each other, alumni, prospective students, and the community!

Time management is important but super easy with the region 1 director position as all meeting dates are laid out early and director responsibilities can easily be fit into your time schedule. Future students in this position should be prepared and excited to serve on the Florida SNA board, it's a great opportunity to get involved and practice your leadership skills!

University of North Florida

Region 3 Director (VACANT)

Florida Atlantic University

I am the Region 4 Director and Elections Committee Chairman. As a Regional Director, I am in charge of keeping my region updated with information about FNSA and NSNA.

As the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) Chairman, I am responsible for nominations, pre-election activities, and voting procedures at the annual convention. Being on the board has taught me a lot about responsibility and teamwork. I think that if others are interested in becoming a Regional Director, they should go for it!

Once you get the hang of it, it's not as intimidating as it may seem.

Florida Atlantic University

My name is Breanna Trigona and I am a Sophomore at Florida Atlantic University. I was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida. I serve on the FNSA Executive Board as the Region 5 Director. My role is to act as a liaison between FNSA and the SNA chapters within my region. I believe this position is a great way to get introduced to FNSA and all the wonderful leadership opportunities that they have. I served many other leadership positions since being accepted to FAU's College of Nursing.

I currently serve on our SNA board as the Image of Nursing Chair and I also serve as a College of Nursing Ambassador in our Student Nurse Ambassador Program. I am able to devote my time to each of my positions by getting ahead of tasks and staying organized. To any student who wishes to be more involved: COME TO FNSA MEETINGS!!! You can sit in and learn all about how our board is run and see which position is the best fit for you! I hope to see new faces soon! Here's to a great year!

VACANT POSITION - APPLY NOW!

Florida Gulf Coast University

I am Chloe Paman, a recently graduated nursing student from Florida Gulf Coast University. I am from Tampa Florida. I graduated in May 2021, then studied and took the NCLEX-RN and proud to say that I am now officially a Registered Nurse! I will be starting my nursing career on a Neuro Intensive Care Unit in Florida!

My FNSA Position is to communicate and coordinate events and new opportunities to the universities that are within Region 7 of Florida NSA. I am also the Communications Committee Chair, where I oversee the social media pages of our Florida NSA Organization.

I believe that many can benefit from joining the Florida NSA Executive Board as it has definitely helped me learn how to manage my time, coordinate with others towards a common goal, and to help me learn how to be an efficient leader and team player. Along with this position, I was also the Historian for the Florida Gulf Coast University NSA Chapter. I loved the position so much, I decided to run for the Florida NSA Board, and here I am today!