Audrey Arcari is the recipient of the Joanne V. Pontier Scholarship. She is currently enrolled in a Family Nurse Practitioner program at Pace University, where she also received her undergraduate BSN.

Audrey was inspired to go into nursing by shadowing her nurse practitioner aunt while she was in junior high. Influenced by the strong, intelligent female leaders that worked independently in that practice, Audrey decided she wanted to be on the forefront of improving healthcare for underserved communities.

She was one of 4 nurses out of more than 800 across the country selected for the NewYork-Presbyterian Cornell Emergency Department New Graduate RN Residency program, which consists of one year of specialized training in Emergency and Trauma care with rotations to the ICUs, burn units, and EMS. About halfway through this program, the pandemic began, and Audrey and her co-residents stepped up to provide care in the heart of NYC and one of the hardest hit spots in the world.

Throughout the pandemic, Audrey noticed the high utilization of emergency departments for primary care along with the health disparities in the LGBTQIA community. She decided to enroll in an FNP program to be a champion of primary care and promoting competent care to those with disabilities. She is passionate about the Down Syndrome Advocacy Foundation which provides financial freedom and resources to families with children who have Down Syndrome to help with early intervention and integration in typical schools.

Audrey is also a Certified Emergency Nurse and encourages excellence in her field by precepting nurses into new roles. She became a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner to learn more about the process in which victims are treated at the hospital and to serve as an advocate for those who have experienced emotional and physical trauma. Because positivity and kindness, are two of her most important values, she started a “Peer Shout-Out” committee in her workplace, to provide employees in the Emergency Department individual recognition by their peers for their outstanding patient care performances.