Teresa D’Angelo is a senior at Plainfield High School, and like many seniors, she knows what she wants to do after her May Commencement. In fact, while she still has a few years of college ahead of her, she has a great start on her post-secondary education and work experience.
By enrolling in the Area 31 vocational education program at Ben Davis High School, Teresa has already logged credits with Ivy Tech towards an Associate in Nursing. And after she completes her Associate degree, she’ll transfer to a four-year university to complete her Bachelor of Nursing; her ultimate goal is to become an RN.
For now, though, with her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license already under her belt and with a job at Wellbrooke of Avon, Teresa was invited to speak to the Indiana House of Representatives last week, following the passage of House Resolution 22, honoring Hoosier long-term care professionals.
Representative Karlee Macer, (District 92) co-authored the resolution, and along with one of Teresa’s patients, invited the future RN to the House floor to speak about the importance of long-term care professionals. For this patient, Teresa’s positive attitude, work ethic and caring nature have made a lasting impression.
“I really enjoy nursing and getting to know my patients,” stated Teresa. “But when I learned that one of my patients wanted me to receive this honor, I was really surprised,” she added.
Teresa spends her morning classes at PHS taking normal senior-level courses. Then the latter part of her day is spent at Ben Davis in the cooperative-based vocational program, where she can learn hands-on, practical skills that, clearly, she is already putting to good use. Congratulations, Teresa!