Ivana Chmielewski BSN ’18, MSN ’23, a clinical nurse educator, takes her breaks at Endeavor Health surrounded almost entirely by North Park University (NPU) alumni.

Chmielewski, who grew up in the Chicago area, is nearly a triple North Parker herself, earning her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing at NPU and now studying for her Doctor of Nursing Practice at the university, too. She said she chose NPU immediately following her first campus visit.

“My cousin committed to North Park, and she and I were going out to lunch, but she needed to drop off some paperwork first,” Chmielewski said. “As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I called my mom and said, ‘I need to go here; I need to go to North Park.’”

Creating a coalition of resources currently unavailable to disadvantaged groups helps build connections with their community and trust with healthcare providers.

Chmielewski earned the Dr. Joan E. Zetterlund Award in Graduate Nursing while pursuing her master’s degree and a prestigious Schweitzer Fellowship shortly after. As a fellow, she developed a literacy education program focusing on the foundations of healthcare that brought nursing resources to immigrants, refugees, and minority communities. She is still active with the program and serves as a mentor for current fellows.

“Creating a coalition of resources currently unavailable to disadvantaged groups helps build connections with their community and trust with healthcare providers,” Chmielewski said.

She’s especially grateful for her professors, many of whom she’s been learning from since her first year of undergraduate studies. Chmielewski said Dr. Keith Bakken BSN ’85, MSN ’06 and Dr. Mary Shehan are among her personal heroes. At a time of nursing shortages and hospital closures, they teach students how to square with changes in the industry while maintaining their compassion.

“I think that’s part of the draw of North Park. You get to build these relationships that stick with you throughout—and long after—your academic career,” Chmielewski said.