Nurses Week kicked off on May 6, 2024 and we have loved seeing the outpouring of inspirational and touching stories shared by friends, family, staff, faculty, and of course, our students!
Nurses Make the
This is my Mom! She has been such an amazing role model to me and I look up to her everyday. She was a medic in the Army and when she got out she became a Nurse and has worked bedside for her entire career. She is the reason I will be graduating this May with my BSN from WSU and commissioning into the Army to be an Army Nurse! Thank you for being my biggest supporter and inspiration all in one.
– Rochelle Koepke
When I was in high school, I became a certified nurses aid (CNA) and worked at a skilled nursing facility in Walla Walla. Our evening charge nurse, Opal Wallace, was amazing and became the symbol of the nurse I wanted to become. Opal always made herself available to the CNAs to ask questions, lend a hand in patient care, and even would take a patient group if we were short staffed – and she was 68 years young then! She did this with a smile and an encouraging word, and helped to create a team no matter what we were facing on the floor. When I would come on shift and Opal was there, I always felt a little more confident in my work, and happy to be part of the team. To this day her memory helps me overcome challenges and to keep smiling!
– Anne Mason, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Andrea Perry (’11 Nursing) exemplifies the heroic spirit of the nursing profession. She sprang into action at a Washington State University football game (Fall of 2022) when Rob Martin collapsed from a heart condition. Perry, alongside her husband, swiftly administered CPR, reviving Martin and stabilizing him until paramedics arrived. Later, she again demonstrated her commitment, assisting another fan in distress on the side of the road on the way to another Cougar game. Through her tireless dedication to others, Perry serves as a shining example of the compassionate courage nurses embody every day.
– Anonymous
