After learning about The DAISY Faculty Award, I realized that Professor Young has perfectly demonstrated what it means to be a DAISY Faculty Member. Throughout my time at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, I have had the opportunity to work with Professor Young in both the classroom and clinical settings. In both settings, Professor Young has proven to be a natural leader with a passion for empowering her students. She can walk into a room and capture the attention of even the most stressed, sleep-deprived nursing students. Her contagious enthusiasm creates a positive learning environment that feels inclusive and accepting. I am confident that my classmates would agree that many of our most engaged group discussions took place in our course with Professor Young during our N3 year.
Along with being my professor and clinical instructor, I have been lucky to call Professor Young a role model and mentor. She has become someone that I go to for advice or even when I simply need a listening ear. On multiple occasions, she has taken time out of her busy day to talk with me about my goals, future career path, and patiently listened as I talked through difficult decisions. It is a rarity to find a role model that is also willing to be a mentor, and I feel privileged to have found that in Professor Young. I have witnessed this not only with myself, but with all of my classmates. Professor Young makes an effort to check in on her students and takes a genuine interest in how everyone is doing. This kind of compassion does not go unnoticed, and I hope she knows the positive impact she has had on the Class of 2017. 
Thank you for all that you do, Professor Young! You are a true example of the kind of nurse and educator that the DAISY Faculty Award is intended to honor.