Dawn R. Durga, Student Services Specialist

480.858.9100 ext. 206 phone
888.882.7266 ext. 206 toll-free

BSW, Social Work
Arizona State University, 2001
Tempe, AZ

Dawn was born and raised up and down the East Coast, her father being a Marine. She has three brothers, one of whom lives in Arizona and drives a big rig for a living. She currently lives with her daughter and four indoor cats and one outdoor cat, Frank—he adopted her. Reading, writing, making jewelry, and dancing are among Dawn’s favorite hobbies. She also volunteers on a Speaker’s Bureau for a local organization.

Dawn came to SCNM in 2005 in the Financial Aid office and continued moving forward until landing her current position as Student Services Specialist. 
“This has been the finest three years! I love this position because it affords me the opportunity to share in the passion of our students’ pursuit of their dreams to make positive change in our world.”

Dawn’s favorite ceremony at SCNM occurs during Senior Week.

“Senior Week is filled with activities for our graduating class; and in addition, they participate in a rite of passage which is so powerful that it never ceases to cause goose bumps!”

On the Friday of Senior Week, our graduating seniors invite their family and friends to the school. While the seniors are holed up in one of the classrooms, the family, friends, staff, and students gather in the hall, some people tapping lightly on drums and clapping. After some time passes, people begin banging on the door of the classroom, encouraging the graduates to emerge. When they finally do, the roar of ecstatic friends, family, and graduates is deafening. They then march in a large oval through the hall—hugging, kissing, and crying—until they reach the infamous SCNM gong. With the exhilaration of completing four years of grueling sciences and clinical rotations, they begin to bang on the gong. This goes on for close to an hour, and the emotions run high.

“The energy is absolutely electric. It is impossible not to be touched by this event, no matter how often you see it. This ceremony is only one of many that make SCNM unique and which offer a sense of family and home. When a prospective student visits the school, they often say they feel they’ve come home. I say, ‘Welcome home’.”