This post is really just because I plan to turn my blog into a scrapbook for the girls and I want to share this story with them.
Back in August, on the drive home from the Great Wolf Lodge, I received an email from a professor I had at Texas State notifying me that I was selected for the Dr. Herkimer Outstanding Alumni Award for the School of Health Administration. He asked if I would accept and of course I said I would. I was one of two people selected for this award and the awards banquet was held Friday night.
I have two degrees from Texas State so the School of Health Administration has a very special meaning to me....I spent lots of money there and 6 years completing my education between both degrees. I truly didn't realize how big a deal this was until days before the event. It seems that all Texas State Alumni from the College of Health Professions were aware of this and started reaching out to me to offer their congratulations. I have had an outpouring of positive feedback from colleagues, current students, other alumni and the faculty.
The other award recipient and myself were both asked to speak at the Healthcare Administration conference in the afternoon. I'm guessing there were at least 300 students (undergraduate & graduate level) along with faculty and I was asked to share my personal story related to my career success.
After the conference the school hosted a banquet & dinner. There they gave several student scholar awards and inducted students into the honor society, Epsilon Phi Delta. There were two alumni awards given, which was clearly the main focal point of the night. The first award was for Outstanding Preceptor (undergraduate and graduate level). A very special person to me, Laura, received the Undergraduate Preceptor Award and it was extremely special to me since I was her preceptor when she was graduating back in 2003. The other award was the Dr. Herkimer Outstanding Alumni Award and I was one of two recipients for the award.
This is Dr. Herkimer. He is retired but was a long time professor for the School of Health Administration.
This is my boss for the past 10 years. At the end of August he moved to another hospital but Dr. Nowicki invited him to the banquet and he asked Don to introduce me. I cannot even begin to explain everything Don shared about me to that room full of people. All I can say is I was floored and almost speechless with all of the positive recognition. In my job I am usually the one to give out recognition so to be on the other side was incredibly special. It was all the more special to have my hospital CEO be there to not just support me but publicly recognize me.
This is Professor Mooney. Mooney taught my Human Resource class when I was an undergraduate and I've worked with him for the past 15 years placing graduating seniors in a residency at our hospital. I've either personally hired or found a job for 7 of those students and I know they would each say that I helped them start their career. Pretty amazing and what I love the most! Professor Mooney is the one who nominated me for the Outstanding Alumni award and he came up to me to tell me there was no one else that he thought compared to me and that I was an easy choice. Wow.
This is Laura. Laura did a residency for me in 2003 and she was amazing. I hired her once she graduated and she's now in an equivalent role as mine. I feel like a proud momma! I also teared up as she received her Outstanding Preceptor Award because she was so sweet and talked about how I was her preceptor and taught her how important it was and set the example.
Friday was a very memorable day. I received congratulatory messages all day and had many students find me that evening to ask if I could help them get started when they graduate. I will truly never forget this event and I am thrilled to be considered an "outstanding alumni" for my school. They presented me with a lapel pin, an engraved plaque and a painting of the Old Main building on campus. I am so proud to be considered someone the faculty at my university felt deserved this honor.
