Testimonials: Meaghan Schmerge

I’m Meaghan Schmerge (Chris Schmerge’s Daughter).  I’m 22 years old and I am currently in Nursing School at the University of Northern Colorado, in Greeley, Co.

I attended St. Mary’s from Kindergarten through 8th grade and “graduated” from St. Mary’s in spring 2001.  I went to East Hight School (9th-12th) and was in the IB Program.  i was on the debate team all 4 years and lettered each year.  I also played on the volleyball team my freshman and  s0phomore years, but I gave up volleyball for debate.  i also lettered all 4 years in Academics and graduated with a GPA of 3.956.  i was in the National Honor Society my junior and senior years.  I earned by IB diploma in May 2005.  I was accepted to the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC and was awarded a scholarship there.  However, I decided to attend the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley so that I could be close to my family (my parents are in Cheyenne, and my extended family is in Greeley).

Like I said before, I’m in Nursing School at UNC and I will graduate in May 2010 with my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, Nutrition Minor and Psychology Minor.  i also earned a scholarship at UNC–the equivalent of the WUE program since UNC decided to no longer participate in that program the year before I came.  I have been a member of the UNC Student Nurses’ Association (SNA) since my freshman year, and this year I am the President-Elect and will be President for th 09-10 school year.  Additionally, I am a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society.

I currently work as as Certified Nurse’s Aide (CNA) in the Monfort Family Birthing Center at North Colorado Medical Center (the local hospital).  I volunteer every week in the Breastfeeding clinic at the hospital.   aspire to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consulsatant (IBCLC) after I graduate from nursing school.   Volunteering in the clinic helps me work towards my requirements for the IBCLC exam.

I feel that I developed a strong work ethic and respect for authority at St. Mary’s.  That seemed to be the biggest difference between some of my cohorts and myself when I got to high school.  the homework load in high school was not a surprise or hard compared to what I was used to at St. Mary’s (and that carried over to college too).  Also, since most of my classes were pretty small, I was able to talk to teachers and keep up in class when I was absent.  That was helpful for high school when I was gone most Fridays for debate and had to make sure my work was done on time and I coordinated with my teachers so that I would know what I was going to miss.