2008 CNSA state Convention

House of Delegates: From left: Judy Chang, Elaine Bartolome, John Minett, Fatima Arastu, Rafael
Ramos, Elena Rilleau, Bonny Lee

By Fatima Arastu

The weekend of October 11th through 12th was the most anticipated event of the year
for California Nursing Student Association (CNSA) chapters. No, it wasn’t Spring Break or end of
the semester - but CNSA Annual Convention! The convention was held at Hilton Hotel in
Universal City, CA. With over 400 students and faculty members, and about 40 exhibitors in
attendance, this place was happening!

The annual CNSA statewide convention is one of the best resources available to Nursing
students and all NSA members. It is a great networking platform for all nursing students from
ADN, BSN TO MSN programs to meet successful nurse leaders and nationally recognized
speakers. Our keynote speaker was Anne Ryder, who is a renowned television Journalist and
the last person to interview Mother Teresa. She gave an outstanding speech about her lifetime
of experiences and impact of Nursing and Nurses on her life - as Nurses truly are stars!

Apart from motivating guest speakers, attendees loved the Exhibitors. Exhibitors
included recruiters from various hospitals, graduate schools, International Nursing
Organization, Kaplan and ATI from across the state. This provided students an opportunity to
interact with numerous recruiters and learn about various programs available upon graduation.
We also had a number of individual educational group sessions for students to choose; such as,
First year students with Strategies, Successfully meet the challenges of test taking in Nursing
school, Money management, Mentoring and so forth. Also, school representatives were
introduced to the House of Delegate session and were able to voice their opinion and cast their
vote on resolutions, bylaws and elect new Board of Directors. The convention ended with
election of new Board members and recognition of scholarship winners. Congratulations
everyone!

From Left: Elena Rilleau, Fatima Arastu and Sean Mc Guire

Elena Rilleau, and Fatima Arastu CNSA Board of Director for 2008-2009 year

The Convention was an invigorating experience. I learned about the various programs
fellow NSA members have been working on across the state. To be elected from this talented
pool as one of the Board of Directors for CNSA is a great honor. I’m thrilled to serve you as
Council of Chapter Representatives Co-Chair North for 2008-2009 and so proud to continue the
legacy of SFSU SON students. SFSU SON students have been holding Board positions for the
past three years and this is our fourth year in a row! Lindsay Spry, Elizabeth Papp, Rafael
Ramos, April Simoni, and Judy Chang have been the former Board of Directors and now we
have two SFSU SON students for the year 2008-2009.
 Former CNSA Board of Directors 2007-2008 year and Newly Elected
2008-2009 Year! From Left: Rafael Ramos, Fatima Arastu, Elena Rilleau, and April Simoni

So, you ask, “What is a Co-CR North Director? And what will you do?”

A Co-CR North Director represents all Northern California School’s CNSA chapters
including NSA at SFSU. As your Co-CR North, I’ll represent these chapters and facilitate
constructive flow of ideas, information and concerns. I’ll be your advocate, resource person
and, most importantly, be your voice. Co-Chair South, Molly Cocking and I will work closely to
bring you our Co-CR Spring and Summer Meetings. Co-CR Meetings cast the spotlight on various
committees like Community Health, Convention, BTN and present sessions such as Image of
Nursing, amongst many others. So, if you missed out on the CNSA Convention this year, then be
sure to follow www.cnsa.org for upcoming Co-CR Meeting dates and information on how you
can get involved. This is sure to be a great networking opportunity and learning experience!

The next CNSA State Convention 2009 happens in Sacramento. Mark your calendars and get
involved. You could very well be the next State Board Member!