Deborah Wientjes, assistant professor of Nursing, is the 2010 recipient of the DAISY Faculty Award at Baptist College of Health Sciences. Wientjes was presented the award on March 29, 2010 at the College's Annual Honors Convocation. Several stories from Nominees were shared...below are two from the April graduates. Nomination #1 This faculty is probably the best instructor that I have ever had both in clinical and in the classroom. She is always there it offer an encouraging word to her students. She is very patient and never gets frustrated when you ask her questions. I think there are many good teachers at Baptist; however this instructor is very special. She teaches in a way that helps the students understand. She is always willing to help anyone and everyone. She is probably the biggest student advocate I have ever met. I loved her stories and think that they made learning so much more interesting. I learned so much from her during clinical hours. She was a true motivator in clinical. She helped make the experience enjoyable and a comfortable learning experience. There are so many times that I felt I would not make it through without this instructor and her encouragement. She has helped me in more ways than she will ever know. To watch her love and passion for nursing is so inspiring. She is the type of nurse I want to be, and I think because of her I will be a better nurse and person. Nomination #2 This instructor is without a doubt one of the best teachers at Baptist College of Health Sciences. She goes above and beyond to help her students learn everything it takes to be an excellent nurse. Not only does she create ways to make the subject enjoyable, she shows the dedication to students individually to make sure they succeed. She is a student advocate. She absolutely cares about each and every student’s success in nursing school. She understands the amount of stress and anxiety that comes from the curriculum and she does everything in her power to try to ease this stressful time for us. I personally don’t know what I would have done without her at times. Although I am far from Adult Health Nursing, I still find myself confiding in her for support and guidance to finish out the curriculum. She is always there for me, as well as other students, to offer words of encouragement or just to allow us to talk through the worries and concerns. I feel very blessed to have had a teacher who has impacted me so much to strive to become the best nurse I can be. I owe that to this teacher. Through her passion for nursing, her stories as a young nurse, as I will be, and her love of teaching, I am confident she has made me a better person and in the future a better nurse. I don’t know anyone else who deserves this award more than she does.