Pillar of the AUHS Foundation María Shearing (BSN 2019) and current MSN student
By Brent Davis, PhD, MA, MA
This month we begin a new focus article The Pillar of the Foundation and our inaugural pillar is Maria Shearing. She is an amazing person: student, teacher, nurse, wife, and mother of nine. Oh, and she is an extremely involved volunteer for the AUHS Foundation!
Her involvement with the foundation began when she attended the general information session prior to enrolling at AUHS. Pastor Johnson spoke about the mission of AUHS and how we could help. Then staff, leadership and faculty continued to elaborate on what it meant for students to get their community service hours.
“I was looking forward to it, not quite sure what it would all entail. In the beginning I thought, ‘ok, I need to get this done,’” she continued. It was a check list kind of thing, but as soon as she started to complete her hours, she realized it was so much more than a list.
Her work has consisted in helping the underserved. Soon after her volunteer hours started, she felt differently about serving the underserved, and began to see what a privilege it was. A volunteer event that still, to this day, warms her heart was “Lamp unto My Feet.” At this event she had the opportunity to wash the feet of the homeless; it was a very humbling experience. The blessing of this event was for the ones doing the washing because the people were beyond grateful, and “couldn’t believe we would do such an act.” She remembers how some cried. “This act worked within my heart so much more than I could ever imagine.” She said that It was true what they say: so many times, we think what a blessing this and that is without realizing that sometimes it’s more of a blessing for the individual doing the act and, “we just never know how God is working within us. It’s HIS perfect timing always!”
As a volunteer, she has come to realize how important the role is. She has donated more than 500 community service hours to the AUHS foundation and their events to help the underserved and the community. As a child her parents did a lot for the underserved. A Bible verse her mom used to quote is “…do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” (Matthew 6:3 NIV). Her mother helped so many people out of the goodness of her heart ever since she was young, and Maria believes this is where it all started for her. She was able to experience her parents’ passion for helping the underserved firsthand.
Maria also supports the foundation by enjoying what the foundation stands for, Ms. Suss’ passion for getting the word out shows the volunteer the amount of dedication needed to share with the rest of the world — to move hearts towards Jesus. Maria also looks forward to the many events that are to come and involving her family as well.
Speaking of her family, it consists of nine members (yes nine)! She is married with seven children of whom five are now grown and out of the house. She and her husband continue to raise two happy and healthy teenage boys. Her husband is very supportive and without him none of this would have been possible.
She is a proud alumna of the university and is now an MSN student. Also, she is working for AUHS as a clinical instructor and a clinical site supervisor. She enjoys what she does here and feels blessed by the opportunities that have been given to her by Pastor Johnson, Ms. Kim, Dr. Uvero, and Dr. Ryan. Being a volunteer for the foundation and Ms. Suss’ team has allowed her to experience God’s greatness on a different level. “To be a part of this is what makes me desire to do so much more.”
But wait there’s more! She also works as an emergency department (ED) nurse caring for the underserved community and take pride in educating the patients I serve and providing A1 quality care, just as Jesus does for her. Staying at patients’ bedsides will “keep me up to date in the skills we teach. “
One wonders, are there any dreams left? Her dreams for the future are to continue to serve the underserved as well as to spark interest for her kids to do the same, to stay firm in her faith and for her family to follow in those steps, to share the same passion with our students, staff, coworkers, and to one day assume the top leadership position at AUHS, and to continue to serve the Foundation in any way possible.
Maria concludes by urging us to be pillars of the foundation:
We should support the foundation because it provides a comprehensive high-volume outreach not only to the few but to the many as God would have it. The foundation provides selfless service with an ever-increasing breadth of services that everyone should be proud of. Of greatest note to her is serving the homeless and those at risk for homelessness, and the underserved.
“I am proud of the work I’ve done and am certain that many other take pride away from their service to the foundation.”
Maria Shearing is truly a pillar of the AUHS Foundation and all-around amazing woman.