Nurse Emily

Emily Cusick, Class of 2013, Providence, RI -> Walpole, MA

What are you up to since the last time you shared your story? I left Watertown, moved to Nashville, moved to Providence, and now will be moving to Walpole, MA this month! I’m currently a registered nurse for the Thoracic Surgery Department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

How'd you get here since the last time you shared? I accepted a job at Vanderbilt Medical Center and moved to Nashville six weeks after graduating college. Starting over in a brand new city with a brand new job was very intimidating, but I had found my new niche. I lived there for two years and was lucky enough to work with some pretty amazing people. I was able to experience a different way of life in Nashville and it will always have a piece of my heart. However, as much as I loved it, I was also in a long distance relationship and couldn’t wait to finally come home. I have been living in Providence, RI since May but commuting to work in Boston from there while working the night shift is definitely not ideal, so my boyfriend and I will be moving to Walpole at the end of the month!

What are your goals now? Have they changed? I have always been focused on what comes next, so for now I’m learning to live in the present. I’m finally working in Boston and living with my boyfriend which was the ultimate end goal. I still want to work in the Emergency Department and go back to school, but it’ll happen when it happens. If there’s anything I’ve learned these past two years is to let go of the need to have control over everything and just see where life takes you, you’ll get to where you’re supposed to be.

Emily Cusick, Class of 2013, Fairfield, CT

June 2016 Story

What are you up to?  I am currently a rising senior in the nursing program at Sacred Heart University. I play the tenor saxophone in the university band and I am a member of the Delta Zeta sorority. I've been working in the General Surgery unit at Stamford Hospital for a year now, and I just accepted a position in the Emergency Department at Saint Mary's Hospital!

How'd you get here? After lots of laughs, tears, and hard work, I'm finally one year away from becoming a Registered Nurse. I love that I've gotten experience in the hospital prior to graduation, it's definitely given me more confidence in the field that I'm going into. I've put in a lot of time into studying and clinical hours and I'm excited to see it all pay off.

What are your goals? I hope to one day be a nurse in the Emergency Department, and to later continue my education and become a Doctor of Nursing Practice. I've had amazing learning experiences both inside the classroom and at clinical, and hope to eventually become a nursing professor at a university.

Advice for WHS Students? Time goes by faster as every year of school goes by. Don't wish away your time and always live in the moment. Embrace new opportunities, you'll never know what kind of experiences you'll have or what friends you will make along the way until you try something new. Travel as much as you can, you won't regret it!

What is your favorite snack food? Chips and guacamole for sure, or anything that I can put hot sauce on.

Just Graduated and Ambitious: Callie Egan

Callie Egan, Class of 2018, Watertown

What are you up to? Currently in training to be a PCA at Waterbury Hospital and going to school for nursing.

How'd you get here? I got here with the help of the CNA course that I took during high school and the help of many teachers/family members that told me, if I want to do something then don’t give up and strive to do exactly what you want.

What are your goals? My goals are to test and apply for the nursing program after Fall of 2019 and get into the nursing program for Fall of 2020!

Giving Hope: Heather Humphrey

Heather Humphrey, Class of 2008, Oakville, Connecticut

What are you up to? I work as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner for an outpatient behavioral health program. I care for both patients with mental illness as well as substance abuse. I provide medication assisted treatment (such as Suboxone) to individuals with Opiate Use Disorder and work with an amazing group of clinicians to provide group programs and services to these patients. 

Other than my career I’m a mom to two beautiful boys and I have an amazing husband.

How'd you get here? Growing up I’ve had a lot of personal experience with substance abuse and mental health. Seeing first-hand what it can do to someone and their loved ones pushed me to find a way to help those in need. Watertown High School have me a great starting point, as I started in the CNA program there. From there I went to college for to become a Registered Nurse (RN) and began my career as a Psychiatric Nurse on an inpatient floor. I became manager of the floor while I pursued my degree as a Psych Nurse Practitioner. Once this was done, I started working at the outpatient program. They had a need in their addictions program, so I offered to help there (not realizing at the time I had an interest in addictions). I fell in love with working with those patients and the rest is history. I now work with those who have mental health issues as well as those with substance abuse problems.

What are your goals? The goal I have for my practice, and life in general, is to give people hope. Hope that there is help out there and someone who cares. Hope that the addiction doesn’t have to continue to run their lives and that they can and will overcome it. My goal is to help people realize that mental health as well as addiction are a disease. I believe there needs to be more education about mental health and substance abuse problems and more support from our communities to help these individuals.

If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be? As much as I love my life and where I am both personally and in my career, there are days I wish I traveled more, tried new things, explored the world. Be fearless, don’t let anyone tell you what should make you happy or what kind of life you should have.

Coaching with New Goals: Emily O'Connor

Emily O'Connor, Class of 2009, Watertown CT

What are you up to? Well, I'm in school... again. I just got into Waterbury UCONN's accelerated nursing program, where I'll receive my second bachelors degree. 

I actually still spend a lot of time at WHS. I coach during fall semester (volleyball) and spring semester (softball). Coaching has become a huge part of who I am and being able to do so at my alma mater makes it that much more fun! I coach the sports that I fell in love with, with all of the coaches who taught me. Yes - all my coaches are still there. Ally Demarest was my volleyball coach in Senior year of high school. Keith Borkowski and George Palomba have coached me since I was 13 year old. Now, they are the men I stand beside on the softball field, coaching. To have a full circle experience (playing, coaching and umping) has given me a better appreciation for each sport.

How'd you get here? After graduating high school I moved to New Haven and attended SCSU for 4 years and received my Bachelors Degree in Bilingual Speech Pathology. 2 years and approximately 20 graduate school rejection letters later (yes - 20) I decided to move on. I worked for one year as an ABA therapist; I worked one-on-one with children who where non-verbally autistic. While this was a rewarding job, I knew it was not my CAREER.

My new goal is nursing. I'll be the third generation of nurses in my family. I had to re-take EVERY science class I ever took at SCSU, because mine where now either too old or based on speech pathology (I was thrilled). I saved some money and did this at NVCC. During this time, I was coaching and working as the special events coordinator for Watertown Parks and Recreation. All of these things leads us to present day Emily. I'm still coaching, waiting for more schooling, and working at the Parks and Rec office (10 years later).

What are your goals? I would ultimately like to work in pediatric nursing nursing and eventually become a Nurse Practitioner. I love helping people, so cliche, I know... but I do.

Advice for WHS Students? It's okay to be rejected (coming from me, I was rejected over 20 times for graduate schools, I know the feeling). It's is not always negative, it's simply a change of plans. 

Also, stay in touch with your high school friends because while your college friends are great, my best friend has been the same person since day one. Thanks Han!

If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? Ireland.

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A Running RN: Jennifer D'Angelo

Jennifer D'Angelo, Class of 2008, Cheshire, CT

What are you up to? I'm very happy to be a registered nurse at Smilow Cancer Hospital, part of Yale-New Haven Hospital. I started working there in May, on one of the outpatient floors. My day consists of administering chemotherapy to hematology patients (patients diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma), drawing their labs and giving them blood products as needed. I love taking care of oncology patients. They are the nicest, most grateful people I have ever met. I have taken care of cancer patients whose ages range from early 20s to 90s. 

I recently passed my oncology nursing certification and I am going into my 2nd semester as a graduate nursing student at Western CT State University in the Adult Nurse Practitioner Program. 

Even after tearing my meniscus and getting knee surgery in 2014, I'm still running. I ran my 2nd half-marathon last November; the Disneyland Half Marathon.

How'd you get here? Before my current job, I worked as a RN at Saint Mary's Hospital on an inpatient medical oncology floor. The floor was not 100% oncology so when I got tired of working the 3pm-11pm shift, I moved on to my current job. I absolutely love oncology nursing. If someone told me in high school or even while I was in nursing school, that I would work in oncology, I would have told them, "No way! It's too sad!" But after I graduated nursing school, I had two grandparents diagnosed with cancer. They passed away a year later. It changed me, in a good way. I really love being able to give back to these patients and their families.

What are your goals? In December 2018, I will be done with my MSN degree, take my boards, and become a certified APRN. My dream job would be to continue to work at Yale-New Haven Hospital as one of their oncology APRNs. After I graduate, I want to get married and have kids. 

I also want to run more half marathons and hopefully a full marathon if my knee cooperates.

Advice for WHS Students?

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Remember what makes you comfortable will never make you grow. 

Don't take your high school relationships seriously. You will change so much even though you may think you won't, you will. True love comes around when you LEAST expect it to. Don't go searching. 

Don't take things or people for granted. Be grateful for your health and for the people in your life who love you. 

May the force be with you.

What is your greatest weakness? I worry too much.

Can't get enough of Watertown: Ashlee Gifford

Ashlee Gifford, Class of 2009, Watertown, NY

What are you up to? Currently, I am an RN at the Children's Home of Jefferson County in Watertown, New York (yes, I moved 280 miles from Watertown to Watertown). I am a mom to about 20+ kids from ages 9-17 who have been removed from their homes for a variety of reasons. I am happily married to the love of my life since May 23rd, 2015 and have a beautiful 2-month old daughter named Madison Rose.

How'd you get here? I graduated from CCSU in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I met my husband on Facebook in December 2014 while he was stationed in Germany working as Military Police in the U.S Army. Six months later we were married! We moved to the North Country where he was stationed at Fort Drum and, after a long road to finding a nursing job as a new graduate with no experience in the middle of nowhere, here I am!

What are your goals? We are unsure of where my husband's military career will take us next, but I plan to embrace the challenge and I look forward to the opportunities that I will face as we PCS. I plan to continue to see exactly where my place is in the nursing field and continue to love the road to figuring that out.

Advice for WHS Students? Expect the unexpected, embrace the challenge, prepare for the obstacles, know that nothing comes easy, but it's always worth it. 

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