We have two little girls and are pregnant with our third baby, so we are experiencing a lot of emotions as we work hard to protect our family. If there is one thing that I can pull from my time at Lewis University, it is the foundation of faith and community. I rely on my faith more than ever. When I am driving to work, I say a prayer. After I put my children to sleep, I pray and ask God for the strength to keep going for my family.”
Melanie (Arce) Wilke '14
Registered Nurse, Pulmonary Unit
"When I walked across the Lewis University stage with my BSN in 2014, I could not have imagined that in the 6th year of my nursing career, I would be directly on the frontline caring for patients during a global pandemic. It is something you read about and see pictures of in books, but when it becomes your reality, it hits harder than you could’ve ever imagined. I never considered myself a “hero” or “brave.” But I feel a strength in myself that I never thought I had from being a nurse during this time. I am so proud of us all. To all the nurses out there, WE GOT THIS!"
Benjamin Esquivel '20
Sergeant, Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force, US Army
"Benjamin is a Lewis University senior graduating this May who was ordered for active duty in late March as part of the Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force with the U.S. Army. The purpose of their mission is to relieve some of the strain on healthcare facilities in the U.S. with the highest rates of COVID-19. SGT Esquivel is currently working in a hospital in Bronx, New York, alongside nurses and doctors, directly treating COVID-19 patients. SGT Esquivel has been a medic and health care specialist serving in the Army Reserve since 2014."
Zackary Abu-Shanab ’18
Mental Health Counselor, Trinity Ministries
"As a mental health counselor, the COVID-19 crisis has impacted our daily structure immensely. The clients we serve have been quarantined to their houses and we must travel to their houses to serve them. Lewis prepared me by not only giving me multiple routes of learning, but also different experiences. Either in classes, studying abroad in Spain to experience different cultures, or playing different roles on the Philip Lynch Theatre Lewis University stage, I had multiple routes of learning to grow as an individual and prepare for the real world.
I think the thing that that keeps me going through all of this chaos is the people I provide support for. They are unable to provide for themselves and need the care that myself and the rest of our staff provide. I love being able to help people that need it most."
Jaymore Hicks ’16
Admission Coordinator, Legacy Healthcare
"What I experience every day is hope. I’m hopeful that we will overcome this virus; I’m hopeful that when I go home that I’ve done the best that I can do, and that tomorrow is always a new day. Lewis prepared me for the unexpected; meaning that you never know what to expect in life. Lewis also taught me how to accept every challenge as a new experience and learn from it. Times are challenging, but to be able to make someone laugh, smile, or just forget about their worries, brings a smile to my face and motivates me to keep going."
Tanja Barac '10
Simulation Technology Coordinator, Simulation and Integrative Learning Institute - UIC Chicago
Choosing a career in healthcare education was influenced by the compassionate and well-rounded professors and mentors Tanja had at Lewis University. Her career entails development and implementation of technology-based simulation experiences for healthcare students and professionals. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was critical for Tanja and the SAIL team to quickly design and facilitate a PPE donning and doffing program for the clinicians working the frontline. Since the Illinois mandated stay-at-home order, Tanja and her colleagues worked diligently to come up with an alternative for in-person programming. As a result, they have completely transitioned to 100% virtual, live, and interactive tele-simulation. They have been able to reproduce equally effective and educational simulation experiences for the medical students. This is especially important as these students either graduated early, in need of more clinicians on the frontline, or will be starting their clinical clerkships this summer.
Melissa Blisk '18
Registered Nurse for COVID ICU at Advocate Christ Medical Center
“As a Flyer on the frontline during this health crisis, I have witnessed first-hand just how awful and real this virus is. I am currently taking care of COVID ICU patients who are requiring extreme measures in hopes to save their lives. The hardest part about this situation is watching these otherwise healthy patients get so sick and feel so alone due to the no visitor restrictions. As the primary nurse, it has become my responsibility to update the family, often with bad news, use Facetime and Zoom to let family members see a glimpse of what is going on, and I have even sat next to a patient bedside for 3+ hours holding a cell phone up to the patient while holding their hand as they took their final breaths so that they would not have to die alone. These trying times are pushing us nurses to recall our fundamental skills that we learned in nursing school and reminding us why we entered this profession in the first place. It is because of Lewis University that I felt confident enough to volunteer to work on the COVID units. Lewis prepared me to face something as awful as this pandemic by instilling in me the values of what it takes to be a good nurse. The patient is the priority and as a nurse I must never lose sight of the fact that I chose this profession to help heal and comfort others when they are in their most vulnerable moments.”
Jordan Styczen '18'19
ABA Therapist at Caravel Autism Health
“My time at Lewis prepared me for interacting with the community during tough times such as the ones we are going through now. I feel like the sense of community we had as a school prepared me for being very community and family-centered in the care I provide to the families and kids that I work with. The clients we serve are either diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Developmental Disabilities, so receiving our services are very important in our client’s success to achieving Activities for Daily Living (ADL) and learning to use functional communication with others. I provide support for some of our most vulnerable in society and being involved in the mental health care field has allowed me to meet a wide range of both families and clients. Many of the Social Work professors that I had throughout my Lewis University experience have heavily paved the way to my career in mental health.”
Courtney Makowski ’13
Critical Care Pharmacist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital's COVIC ICU
“My time at Lewis prepared me for interacting with the community during tough times such as the ones we are going through now. I feel like the sense of community we had as a school prepared me for being very community and family-centered in the care I provide to the families and kids that I work with. The clients we serve are either diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Developmental Disabilities, so receiving our services are very important in our client’s success to achieving Activities for Daily Living (ADL) and learning to use functional communication with others. I provide support for some of our most vulnerable in society and being involved in the mental health care field has allowed me to meet a wide range of both families and clients. Many of the Social Work professors that I had throughout my Lewis University experience have heavily paved the way to my career in mental health.”