Astraia Pulliam Memorial Scholarship Fund for Nursing

Astraia Pulliam grew up in the town of Bonny Doon in the mountains of Santa Cruz, California. A bright and vibrant life, she set forth to spread the gift of health and healing, becoming a yoga instructor in San Francisco for several years. Along her journey she was blessed to become a mother to her cherished first born son. Her ambition to help heal never ceased, leading her to move to Humboldt County and attended College of the Redwoods nursing program. While raising her young son as a single mother, she completed her nursing degree in 2014. She started work on the Medical Surgical Unit at St. Joseph's Hospital, where she quickly gained a reputation as a dedicated and tender nurse who cared and advocated for all of her patients with loving kindness. One of her signature traits was her bright red lipstick. Astraia was the kind of nurse who went above and beyond, buying red lipstick for a patient who was in need of cheering up. Astraia was a beautiful person who had an amazing personality, a strong will, an infectious laugh and a smile that would make your day. She would smile her beautiful red lips at the thought that this scholarship is helping single moms achieve their goal of becoming nurses. (2019)