Meet The Executive Board

Javon is going into his third semester of the ADN program at CCBC and will graduate in May of 2024. Most recently he has served on the MANS BOD as Secretary and as an NSNA Project InTouch recruiter. Javon is also a student member of the AAMN, ENA, and ANA and is affiliated with the Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons. Javon has spent the last 4 years as a Clinical Technician in the ED at The Johns Hopkins Hospital where he also serves as a clinical instructor and facilitator for their SOARING internship. Javon has a vision to RE-MANS this year by Reflecting on our history and our current challenges to Reignite the engagement of the state’s nursing students and Reinvigorate a zeal that was once there. He hopes to build an even stronger bridge for the future for our nursing student community. After graduation he looks forward to becoming an ED nurse and pursuing his Master’s to become an informatics nurse and nurse educator.

Other Affiliations: Emergency Nurses Association, American Association of Men in Nursing, Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons.

Boyka Popova is currently enrolled in an ADN program at Baltimore City Community College with a tentative graduation in December 2023. She plans to continue with the RN-to-BSN program at the University of Maryland. She is currently enrolled in the Summer CNE Immersion Program in Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Boyka also works in a pain clinic in Reisterstown, MD; she is a founder/co-chairman of Botev Academy, a language and cultural institution in Silver Spring, MD. She migrated to the U.S.A. in 2002 from Bulgaria where she was a teacher of mathematics and English. 

In her capacity of vice-president of MANS, Boyka will strive to elevate the vitality and functionality of the organization; to help in the strategic planning of its agenda that is aligned with its goal to mentor nursing students preparing for licensure as RN; to convey the standards, ethics, and skills students need as responsible and accountable leaders and members of the profession; to strengthen and widen the nursing students' horizons by providing information and access to enrichment programs and activities.

Faith Ihegihu is a student at Montgomery College and is going into her fourth semester. She plans to work in an Oncology unit and has a passion for the pediatric population. As the Treasurer, Faith hopes to manage the association's funds and make financial recommendations that support nursing students and health promotion efforts.

​

Other Affiliations: Phi Theta Kappa

PJ is a Junior at Salisbury University’s School of Nursing and will be entering her first semester of nursing school! She is looking forward to not only being the MANS secretary for this year, but also being the Vice President at Salisbury’s SNA chapter! I cannot wait to make connections with all of you!

Sherry is entering her fourth semester of the BSN program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She is the founder and president of the Black Student Nurse Association (BSNA) at UMSON, serves as the president of the University of Maryland Association of Nursing Students (UMANS), serves as a student member of the Black Nurses of Greater Washington, most recently served as a student representative on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) council at UMSON, and has been in various peer mentorship and tutoring roles on campus.

Sherry has a vision to help nursing students become more involved in the community and bridge connections between all the schools of nursing in Maryland. She wants to expand professional development and provide leadership opportunities to nursing students across the state to aid in building their confidence in becoming future nursing leaders.

After graduation she looks forward to becoming an ICU nurse. Sherry wants to continue her education in healthcare policy and management, nursing education, and work on improving the quality of patient healthcare outcomes through nursing research.

Prolex Jepngetich is currently pursuing her associate degree in nursing (ADN) at Montgomery College and is going into her second semester. With a deep passion for healthcare and a commitment to providing compassionate patient care, Prolex's ultimate goal is to become a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a specialization in oncology. She actively participates in clinical rotations, gaining hands-on experience in various healthcare settings. After completing her associate degree in nursing, Prolex plans to transfer to the University of Maryland to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Additionally, she aims to obtain additional credentials like the Oncology Certified Nurse certificate to validate her expertise. While serving as Resolutions Director, Prolex plans to work collaboratively with other nursing students, student organizations, and community members to gather input and support for resolutions.

Duties:

a) work closely with the Executive Board;

b) make contacts with the medical and news media to promote all workshops, conventions, health projects, and the Annual Convention to assure good attendance;

c) maintain an active MANS webpage, and maintain and update all MANS social media sites;

d) organize initiatives geared toward the acquisition of vendors and sponsors for the Annual Convention, and delegating tasks as appropriate; and

e) perform such duties as assigned by the President in accordance with the priorities and needs of the association.

Duties:

a) promote to the public and Maryland Nursing School Chapters, activities of MANS which enhance the image of nursing and to create new ways for MANS to promote a professional, positive and realistic image of nursing among the nursing community in

Maryland; and

b) perform such duties as assigned by the President in accordance with the priorities and needs of the association.

Duties:

a) chair the Nominations Committee;

b) prepare a convention nominations slate and have all biographical information available to the membership at the annual meeting;

c) be responsible for screening the selection of nominees for office;

d) send biographical information and officer description to all schools;

e) work to fill positions on the Board in the event of resignation;

f) work in conjunction with the Secretary to compile an accurate mailing list of each school;

g) communicate monthly with all Board Members to maintain communication with schools;

h) assist schools, as needed to develop a membership recruitment period;

i) prepare membership incentive programs with the approval of the Executive Board;

j) be responsible for calculation of the number of delegates for each nursing program for the state convention in collaboration with the Executive Board;

k) contact, in writing, all constituency schools with the number of delegates, as identified by NSNA, that they will be allowed to have as representatives at the National

Convention; and

l) perform such duties as assigned by the President in accordance with the priorities and needs of the association.

Duties:

a) implement the current NSNA Breakthrough to Nursing program in Maryland; and

b) perform such duties as assigned by the president in accordance with the priorities and needs of the association.

a) be responsible for attending legislative meetings, e.g., Maryland Nurses Association legislative committee meetings;

b) keep all Board Members and the statewide membership informed of all important legislation;

c) send letters to legislators when needed to inform them of Association’s view on a bill;

d) write legislative alerts when needed;

e) chair the MANS legislative committee;

f) be responsible for producing changes to the Bylaws at the Annual MANS state convention, and for submitting the changes to NSNA as stated in Article XII; and

g) perform such duties as assigned by the President in accordance with the priorities and needs of the association.