Congratulations to College of Western Idaho (CWI) Assistant Professor and Nursing Simulation Faculty member, Balenda Snow, who has been named Faculty of Distinction for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Snow has been part of the CWI community since August 2021. Throughout her time at the College, she has taught courses including Basic Medical Surgical Nursing (NURS 104), and a variety of clinical experiences across long-term care, post-partum, NICU, labor and delivery, and more. Currently, Snow teaches full time in simulation, where she leads hands-on learning experiences that mirror real-life hospital situations for students in both the Registered Nursing and Licensed Practical Nursing programs.
For Snow, teaching nursing is both a passion and a calling.
“I teach because I love it,” she said. “I love watching a student put the pieces together and finally get it. I get to help students bridge didactic, clinicals, and skills together. Nursing is a career that I love, and I hope through my teaching I can help others find that same joy. I truly believe that every student can be great and successful.”
Snow brings extensive real-world experience into the classroom. She earned her Associate of Science in Nursing from Boise State University in 2007 and later completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing there in 2017. In 2021, she earned her Master of Science in Nursing Education from Western Governors University.
Before moving into education, Snow spent more than 14 years working in bedside nursing, primarily in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Throughout her career, she served in different roles such as a floor nurse and charge nurse to a member of the high-risk delivery team. She was actively involved in hospital committees, chaired a unit-based council, and served as the Team STEPPS champion for her department. She continues to hold a specialty certification in neonatal intensive care nursing.
Snow believes CWI is an exceptional place for students to pursue their education because of the care and collaboration shown by faculty.
“Our team of educators genuinely wants to see each of our students succeed,” she said. “We collaborate well to ensure students exit our program prepared as new graduates. We have smaller cohort sizes, get to know our students as individuals, and students consistently say they feel cared about. I can attest that this is true.”
That collaboration extends across the nursing program, where Snow says faculty intentionally build learning from one course to the next to ensure students are fully prepared for their future careers.
“We approach nursing as a complete program, not as individual classes,” she said. “What students learn builds from one course to the next, and we work together to make sure there are no missing pieces.”
One of Snow’s most meaningful moments at CWI came during her first graduation ceremony as faculty.
“It was such a blessing and an honor to watch our students walk across that stage,” she said. “To think I had a tiny part in their journey is both humbling and rewarding. I was so proud of all of them.”
Snow believes CWI empowers students to achieve their dreams, while empowering her to give students the best education possible. That impact has come full circle in her own life.
“Because of CWI, I have seen firsthand our impact,” she said. “When my son was admitted to the pediatric unit, several of our nursing graduates cared for him. I knew he was in good hands. To play a small part in their journey and then see it come back full circle is an amazing thing to be part of.”
Originally from Georgia, Snow moved to Idaho in 1999. She has been married for more than 20 years and is the proud parent of four children, including adult twins and two teenage sons. She also shares her household with a cat named Loki, who she says believes he is a person.
Outside of the classroom, Snow enjoys making and decorating royal icing cookies, 3D printing, and machine quilting and embroidery. In the summer months, she loves spending time near the water, camping, hiking, and exploring new places with her family.
