Michelene Valerus

paid off for this woman

LOWERFALLS- “Don’t give up, I know you can do it,”

is a phrase that Michelene Valerus of the Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s

Housekeeping Department has heard a lot over the past three years from her fellow employees and School of Nursing teachers.Their support obviously worked. After three years of hard work, Valerus graduated from the Newton-Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing and has finally realized her life-long dream of becoming a nurse. Unlike her fellow nursing students, Valerus, a native of Haiti, had to overcome some unusual obstacles before entering the Newton-Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing. She explains that when she was first employed at NWH 10 years ago, she only spoke French, her native tongue. She adds, “I remember asking Ms. Burke (who is now coordinator of admissions and finical aid at the SON) what I would have to do in order to become a nurse. She was very encouraging and gave me some good advice.” Valerus’ first task was to learn how to speak English. “I took English lessons at night and attended ODWIN (Open Door Wider in Nursing) Learning Center.” Finally, in 1978, she felt ready to tackle one of the greatest challenges in her life and applied to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing. In the past three years, Valerus says that going to school full time and working part time at Newton-Wellesley Hospital has been difficult. But she adds, “The faculty gave me their total support. They did everything possible to help me get through the program. Often-times it was just their words of encouragement that helped keep me going.” Valerus says she is also very thankful to her supervisor and fellow employees for their constant encouragement. “Whenever I was feeling down and out, there was always someone at the hospital giving me pats on the back and urging me on.” Now that she has graduated, Valerus can’t quite believe that she accomplished her major goal in life. “Nursing gives me the best feeling in the world. Just knowing that I’m doing something to help others, even if it’s in some small way, makes me feel good.”

A special thanks to the Church and Valerus family.