Marina Harris-Hardaway ’17, M.S.N. ’19, DNP ’22, isn’t one to shy away from daunting challenges.
Originally from Kyiv in Ukraine, she came to the United States alone at 19. The Soviet Union had broken up, and travel became a possibility. And so did her dream of attending an American university. She worked and studied in England before coming to Quincy, where she got a job as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). From there she earned her first bachelor’s degree—in journalism—at Western Illinois University. She worked as a CNA while she studied and kept the job on the side when she was hired as an editor at a weekly newspaper.
Eventually, the newspaper faltered, and Harris-Hardaway headed back to school for her first degree at Illinois State University—a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) in 2017. From there she continued on for her master’s in nursing, also from Illinois State.
She’s been a nurse since 2011 after earning her licensed practical nurse degree at Illinois Central College. She’s worked as a pediatric nurse and taught at the community college level. Fast forward a few years, and now she has completed the crowning achievement as she graduates with the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). That makes for three pretty daunting degrees, all from Illinois State.
“This school is home to me, not just because of my multiple degrees from ISU but also because of all the help and support I’ve received to be able to pursue an advanced education,” Harris-Hardaway said. “I spent more than two years at MCN’s Simulation Lab working as a graduate assistant and received multiple scholarships to be able to continue my studies toward my M.S.N. and now my DNP.”
Since 2017, she’s been a graduate assistant for MCN and started working as an instructional assistant professor in 2019. One reason for pursuing the DNP was to learn how to translate current evidence-based research to clinical practice to help improve nursing practice. She also thought it would benefit her undergraduate students.
“It seemed like a natural step as a nursing educator at MCN to obtain an education at the highest level in nursing in order to improve as a nursing educator and to provide the highest levels of learning experiences for my students,” she said.
She is grateful for the help and support from MCN faculty, including Dr. Marilyn Prasun, Dr. Sandra Scheidenhelm, Dr. Mary Dyck, Dr. Carla Pohl, and Dr. Teresa Novy.
Her DNP research project was implemented at the local Community Health Care Clinic which provides free healthcare to low-income adults, many of whom are Spanish-speaking immigrants. Nurses there provided structured diabetic education and text follow-up to patients with the goal of reducing their hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) or blood sugar levels.
The study also tracked outcomes such as healthcare appointment cancellations, medication adherence, and emergency room visits after three months. Results showed a statistically significant post-intervention decrease of 1.7% in the mean HbA1C compared to the baseline. Her work points to the effectiveness and importance of diabetic education of patients whose HbA1C is in the uncontrolled range. Harris-Hardaway’s article on her findings will appear in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality in the July/September 2023 issue.
Harris-Hardaway said her work was supported by her best friend and project team member Dr. Jennifer Dana Sawyer. She was also thankful for the support from team members Dr. Nancy L. Novotny, Erin Schmitt, and the staff at the Community Health Care Clinic.
“All of my three adult children, my two sons and one daughter, are current students at Illinois State University. So, we are all Redbirds.”
Marina Harris-Hardaway
In addition, she said her academic endeavors have always been supported by her family, even those living outside the U.S. And within her immediate family, she started an Illinois State tradition.
“All of my three adult children, my two sons and one daughter, are current students at Illinois State University,” she said. “So, we are all Redbirds.”
As she graduates, Harris-Hardaway also remembers her first college professor back in Ukraine who advised her to someday devote herself to scientific research and to teaching college students.
“His and my vision have become a reality, but I could not imagine that I would be teaching nursing,” she said. “I’m very grateful to God and the many instrumental people along my path who helped me reach this exciting time of my life.”
Harris-Hardaway’s advice for anyone struggling to get through college is to accept that sacrifices will have to be made and then be willing to make them to attain your educational goals. Most students aren’t faced with the challenge of being more than 5,000 miles from their parents. Or having to persevere, as Harris-Hardaway has done in recent months, in the face of learning that her parents are now refugees after being forced to flee the war in Ukraine.
“My motto has always been to strive for excellence, and I think it can help empower students with a drive and perseverance to overcome their challenges,” she said. “The only way to get things done is to actually start doing them.”
She plans to continue investing herself in the education of future nurses. She hopes to teach a variety of classes at different levels and participate in more research or quality-improvement projects in the future. She also has an interest in short-term international teaching or collaboration opportunities between nursing professionals.
“My passion is to teach and mentor the next generation of registered nurses to care for patients who so desperately need them in the current healthcare environment,” she said.
This story is one of a series of profiles on Redbirds who are celebrating graduation this December. For more information about how Illinois State is celebrating commencement this semester, visit the Graduation Services website.
