'Triple Devil' siblings use their degrees to help local communities

By Aastha Negi

For Sun Jones and Sun Wright, nursing is a family affair in every sense of the word. As sisters, professional colleagues and proud “Triple Devils” — having earned all of their degrees from ASU’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation — their journeys have been inextricably linked. 

Jones is three years younger than Wright but is the leader of the pair: "I drag her everywhere," she said. 

It’s a dynamic that works well for them. 

"She plans out, then I help her to organize. If you have a strong foundation and a few people who have the same goals, other people will follow,” Wright said.

So it’s no surprise that Jones was the first one to return to ASU to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice, the highest degree in nursing clinical practice. She graduated in 2010.

Admittedly, Jones was a tad hesitant to come back at first. She already had a successful career as a master’s-level nurse practitioner, and enrolling in the program would mean juggling her full-time work, family and classes. 

But her perspective shifted when she started precepting future nurse practitioners. 

“I felt that if I was going to mentor students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, then I should have a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree,” Jones said.

For Wright, who began the same doctorate a few years later, the program served as a launchpad for tangible innovation. Her DNP project involved creating pictorial patient education materials to bridge communication gaps.

“It was great to do an evidence-based research project because I knew I could use it and put it into practice to say, ‘OK, this is actually working,'” said Wright.

That’s exactly what happened. Her project was so effective that it was adopted by other clinics and translated into 29 languages. 

With a curriculum steeped in leadership and systems thinking rather than clinical skills alone, the siblings expanded their expertise from clinicians to community architects.

Their first big project was to launch the Arizona Korean Nurses Association (AKNA) to address the specific cultural and linguistic barriers facing their community. They wanted to create a space where patients felt understood and where nurses from similar backgrounds could find mentorship. 

As excited as they were about it, the association got off to a slow start with only four people, including the two of them, at one of their first meetings. 

“I said, 'If we know what we want to do to make an impact, and if we work hard, it doesn't matter how many people we have,” Jones said.

They kept at it and have built a network of collaborators to provide essential services, ranging from safety training for older adults to free mammograms. 

During COVID-19, their work was really tested. They saw that language and technology gaps were leaving many people behind, so they stepped in. Using the organizational skills they developed at Edson College, they set up vaccine clinics in local Asian grocery stores. It was a huge effort, involving coordination with the county, fire trucks on site for safety, and translators covering 11 different languages.

In recognition of these impactful efforts, they were honored with the Arizona Governor’s Volunteer Service Award, a prestigious accolade highlighting their leadership, dedication and commitment to serving underserved communities. 

Today, Wright continues her dedication to underserved populations, focusing on refugee health and infectious disease, a commitment recently recognized with the prestigious American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Outstanding Contribution.

Jones, a leader in academia, is now shaping the future of nursing as a faculty member and curriculum developer. She continues to champion mentorship, recently launching a leadership skills workshop to help Asian nurses learn the art of conflict resolution and emotional intelligence. 

At the national level, she holds leadership roles within the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, serves as a state liaison and national speaker, and is a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, a distinction recognizing her sustained impact in clinical practice, education and leadership

Their advice to the next generation is to look beyond the pressure of homework and grades to see the value in connection.

"Join professional organizations and find mentors," said Jones. "You're going to learn about leadership and growth, which will help you see the vision once you become a nurse."