She has done so many different things that make her deserving of the award. She connects with patients and families as if she is the primary nurse taking care of them. On any given day, she can be found leaving for lunch to get a patient their favorite meal from Cracker Barrell. She stays in contact with patients and their families long after discharge. She remembers their stories and cheers them on throughout their recovery process. Most recently, she connected with a patient. This patient's only goal was to live to be 100 years old. The patient stated, "I just want to live long enough to be on the Smuckers jar." This patient turned 100 on Saturday. Whitney took the time to sit with the patient and her daughter. She found the site to nominate the patient to be on the Smuckers Jar on the Today Show. She told the patient's story with the help of her daughter and is waiting to hear if she will be on the Today show. In the meantime, Whitney (with some help from the nursing staff) bought a jar of Smuckers Jam and had the patient's photo printed on the jar. She is giving it to the patient today. This is just one of the countless ways that Whitney leads. She is never far from the bedside and remains constantly connected to patients. In doing this, the nursing staff always follow her lead. This has been key in improving patient satisfaction scores on whatever unit she is focused on. You would never know Whitney is such a young leader. She leads with grace and kindness, and it shows in everything she touches.