BNSI assists bilingual residents of Springdale and Siloam Springs to enhance their academic and practical skills to prepare for application to nursing school in three programs:

• Summer Enrichment Program: Each summer up to forty-eight students participate in a three-week, sixty-hour intensive academic session to enhance their math, language, writing and test taking skills.


• CNA Training: qualified prospects have the opportunity to complete Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training to build healthcare skills.


• Pre Nursing Classes: Enrolled prerequisite nursing candidates can receive reimbursement for successfully completed General Education courses with A or B grades. 

Nursing Scholarships: Nursing students accepted into the three participating programs can receive semester scholarships to underwrite school expenses, books, materials and living expenses. August 1 and January 1 are the deadlines to submit BNSI nursing scholarship applications to your Director of Nursing.

BNSI application downloads are available on this website.

BNSI Brochure

BNSI Brochure En Espanol

Through a grant from the Care Foundation BNSI provides academic and financial support to prospective nursing students. The financial support is in the form of scholarships and living expense stipends to bilingual students. For more information or to apply, download and fill out the forms below:

BNSI Basic Data Sheet for prospective nursing students

ARS Guidelines for prospective nursing students

BNSI Scholarship Guidelines for enrolled nursing students

BNSI Scholarship Application for enrolled nursing students

Enrolled nursing students are to hand deliver your completed BNSI application and supporting materials to the Director of Nursing of your individual nursing school for their review and action. Your Director of Nursing will provide a letter of support and transmit your full application package to the BNSI Scholarship Committee for their approval.

NEC provides both academic and financial support for prospective nursing students.

High School Students in the three participating high schools seeking academic support should first complete the BNSI Basic Data Sheet. Submit it to your Coordinator listed in the How to Contact a BNSI Coordinator article. Schedule an interview and qualify for the next Summer Enrichment Program.

PreNursing Students accepted into a Pre Nursing program may submit for reimbursement for successfully completed General Education courses meeting nursing school entrance requirements. Submit a transcript of your completed course to the Director of Nursing at your selected nursing school. Reimbursement is provided for only A and B grades.

Nursing Students should hand deliver your completed BNSI Scholarship Application and supporting materials each semester to the Director of Nursing of your selected nursing school for their review and action. Your Director of Nursing will provide a letter of support and transmit your full application package to the BNSI Scholarship Committee for their action. Deadlines for application are August 1 for Fall semester and January 1 for Spring Semester.

Image to identify program participants


The distinctive heart logo with a pulse beat designed by Springdale graphic arts students has become the official logo of BNSI. That vibrant design is on letterhead, business cards, thank you notes and lapel pins.

BNSI logo lapel pins are awarded to each BNSI nursing graduate, scholarship student or Summer Enrichment graduate. These pins will identify present and past BNSI participants. As the program continues to grow and expand, more nurses and healthcare professionals in Northwest Arkansas will wear it to denote their BNSI heritage.

A laptop computer with Internet access and a cell phone support each BNSI coordinator. This gives BNSI candidates easy access to their appropriate Coordinator.

Mayda Hidalgo Springdale Cohort maydagh@hotmail.com 479-313-0916
Shay Lastra Har-Ber Cohort nsiteservices@aol.com 479-466-5000
Ivonne Garrison, Siloam Springs Cohort igarrisonbnsi@gmail.com 479-220-8338

The BNSI project has a permanent home in the ESOL Suite in the Washington Building on Emma Street in Springdale. The space, furnishings and utilities are provided by the Springdale School District as a rental agreement underwritten by the Walton Family Foundation.

The BNSI office serves as the nerve center for the coordination activities of both Mayda Hidalgo and Shay Lastra. Both work out of this central location. BNSI materials are stored in the office. The office contact number is 479-750-8706.

The Bilingual Nursing Scholars Initiative (BNSI) was sparked by a challenge grant from Care Foundation (CF). In that challenge CF noted, “Responding to the dire need for nurses, and specifically, bilingual nurses, the foundation provided funding to Northwest Arkansas for Nurses to implement a model to recruit, educate, and retain bilingual nurses. This comprehensive program will inform immigrant families about nursing careers, provide scholarships and stipends for nursing students, and place nursing graduates into local hospitals and nonprofit organizations.”
The Walton Family Foundation supports two Springdale Project Coordinator positions, an Academic Advisor, travel expenses and an office. A Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation grant supports the Siloam Springs Coordinator.
The BNSI office is a part of the Springdale Schools ESL program in the Washington Building on Emma Avenue in Springdale.
The Bilingual Nursing Scholars Initiative (BNSI) began its fifth year in July 2008. The program supports five initiatives:

• Identify, recruit and support Springdale and Siloam Springs bilingual students with an interest in becoming healthcare professionals, especially nurses.


• Provide high school and community prospects with academic support through the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP).


• Build Hispanic community awareness to the opportunities for their children.


• Provide financial support to enrolled PreNursing and nursing students.


• Add an Academic Advisor in 2008-9 BNSI to support PreNursing and nursing students in their academics.

The BNSI pilot has grown from its initial site (cohort) at Springdale High School to two additional sites at Har-Ber and Siloam Springs High.  A total of thirteen schools in these three cohorts are involved in curriculum projects to build awareness of nursing as a career.
BNSI has a significant impact on its students and the Northwest Arkansas healthcare community:

• 28 BNSI graduates are currently nursing in Northwest Arkansas.


• 14 bilingual students are currently enrolled in nursing school.


• 21 students are enrolled in Pre Nursing courses.


• 48 high school students will complete the 2008 Summer Enrichment Program.


• Springdale and Har-Ber Coordinators will qualify 48 students and Siloam Springs will qualify 12 students for the 2009 Summer Enrichment Program.


• 15 students will complete CNA courses in 2008-9.  40 students completed CNA certification and are working in healthcare.


• Conduct an average of 80 school visits annual to encourage nursing as a career.


• Conduct monthly Open House session the third Tuesday of each month at the NTI campus