From Bikes to Hikes: BSN Alum Honors Life of Former Nursing Student at Everest Base Camp
In 2016, May 2018 BSN graduate Maya Husayni biked a thousand miles with her family to raise more than $17,000 for Syrian Refugees. Fast forward two years; she just completed a hike to Everest Base Camp, this time honoring Shayn Elexendere, a former student who passed away before he could graduate with Husayni's class.
Husayni says it's a Buddhist tradition in Nepal to hang prayer flags so that the prayers are sent with the wind.
"I left a string of prayer flags at base camp for Shayn. I had actually talked to him once about this trip and he said he had always wanted to do it, so I thought it was a great way to bring his memory along with me," says Husayni.
On her previous biking journey, she had set up a donation page for friends and family to donate to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), a UN program headquartered in New York City that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries. It aids children of Syria by providing access to drinking water, vaccinations, education, psychological support and winter supplies.
Husayni’s father grew up in Syria, and her grandparents are from there as well. She, her father and older brother pedaled for three weeks in July from Vancouver, Canada to San Francisco, California, to spread awareness about the conflict.
Husayni will take the NCLEX at the end of June, and wishes to pursue a career in pediatrics like her father.
