During the first couple of weeks of nursing school, in a situation I was very nervous about, Dr. Greenwood showed more empathy and compassion than any nurse I have ever come across. As someone who encountered the medical system heavily in my childhood, I have encountered countless nurses and other healthcare professionals. However, I have NEVER been met, in any instance, with as much understanding and compassion as with Dr. Greenwood. I have and will continue to recall how in awe I was that it could be so natural for someone to show so much compassion to another individual. I have frequently used her example as I interact with others during nursing school, and will continue to recall her example as a nurse. Dr. Greenwood's unwavering passion for mentoring the next generation of nurses is beyond inspiring. She is an excellent instructor and mentor to students. But more than that, she has set, in that moment and in countless moments since then, an exceptional example of what it means to show up and serve others with constant humility, compassion, and understanding. I will forever remember that early encounter with Dr. Greenwood as a young, scared nursing student, and I hope to emulate her example throughout my nursing career.

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I am nominating Wendy for the DAISY Award because she is so incredibly deserving. Please indulge me while I overshare for a moment. 

I’ve had the privilege and joy of working with Wendy since she joined our team in 2022. She has not only had a massive impact on my professional career but on my personal life as well. Wendy is the colleague I can always rely on – to brainstorm ideas with; to ask a wide range of questions and travel down many rabbit holes with; to laugh and joke with endlessly; to challenge me when I am being stubborn; to vent about things that weren’t working and to work things out until we found something that we thought may work; to check in on me when no one else was, holding my hand and not letting go until I was ready during some of the worst moments in my life. Wendy has become more than a colleague to me, and I couldn’t be more thankful that she decided I was worth investing in and befriending. 

OK, now please let me share more professional aspects of Wendy and why she is deserving of this award. 

Wendy is a staunch student advocate. She goes above and beyond the expectations of a faculty member. If something doesn’t sound right or isn’t working, Wendy will be the first to address it and make it better. There are numerous examples I could share, but one specific example that will never leave my brain is Wendy devoting countless hours to helping a student with particular needs. This student confided in Wendy and me during one of her first days of nursing school, and Wendy took it upon herself to connect with this student and help her thrive. Wendy went out of her way to help this student who was struggling with various things. Wendy would have extended pre- and de-briefs with this student during clinicals to help ease stress, and she would schedule a couple of hours for one-on-one sessions in her office and the CLRC each week to help the student work through coping mechanisms. Wendy also made herself available to the student outside of the business week/hours to help her in times of need as they arose, providing the student with resources and comfort as well. And I know she checks in with this student to see how she is doing, even though she wasn’t in her classes anymore. Wendy's dedication to students is unparalleled. 

Wendy is also a steadfast advocate for faculty. Wendy was nominated by peers to be a Faculty Senator for our college, and she is giving that job a new description. Wendy attends every meeting and subcommittee meeting as assigned, taking detailed notes that she shares and reports back to the college on everything that we may need to know about. Wendy is not afraid to speak up, to ask questions, and at the same time, she is not afraid to listen and change her perspective. Wendy, along with several others, worked very hard to evaluate the workload policy, review the literature and current practices, and put forth new recommendations that would better support faculty. And I know many people don’t know this, but Wendy also advocated for changes to the P&T guidelines, specifically pointing out the inequities of the promotion for different faculty positions. And I could seriously go on, but I’ll pause here, hoping that the awards subcommittee gets my point.

Wendy does many things for our college that are often unseen because she doesn’t want the praise or spotlight. She usually praises and lifts others up. She does all of these things because they are the right thing to do, because she isn’t afraid of hard work, and because she cares deeply. I would love to nominate Wendy for the DAISY Award so that she gets the recognition that she so deserves. We are so lucky to have Wendy on our team.