Sieara Lindley has been hearing impaired since infancy but she is quick to note that “it is part of me, it doesn’t define me.” She had an interpreter growing up but by the time she reached high school, she wanted to go it alone. She wanted to let people know that hearing loss doesn’t mean one can’t do what others do. She was involved in sports and cheerleading in high school. At the beginning of her freshman year at IUPUI, she was accepted into the Nina Scholars program. She quit her job and now focuses full-time on her studies. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing by 2018 and a master’s degree in occupational therapy by 2020.

For Sieara, the benefits of her scholarship go far beyond the financial assistance. “They provide a lot of help and connection. It’s easy to feel alone. The Nina Scholar coordinators really want us all to be successful.” Sieara calls herself a big “people person.” She chose nursing as her career because she “she loves being able to work with people, to help them. And I have been so blessed to have the heart and help of Nina Mason Pulliam in my life.”