I first got to know Alex as a staff nurse working the night shift in Tisch. I worked on 14-East and one night I went over to 14-West to visit my girlfriend's Grandma who had surgery. When I came into the room Alex was sitting just talking with her. That moment stayed with me because both 14E and 14W were really busy floors, but she was taking the time to not only treat her as a patient but also treat her with the respect and dignity that comes with being someone's Grandma. It stayed with Grandma, too, and I know this because Alex won her over so much that each of the three times she came back to NYU, she tried to request Alex as her nurse (and succeeded twice).

Once Kimmel opened 14E and 14W, nurses got merged into KP 14, the SICU. I got the chance to work with Alex again, and this time, we both grew as leaders, charge nurses, preceptors, and mentors. After two years, I left for Tisch 10, and Alex left for Tisch 6, but our paths crossed again in core classes for school. She was studying nursing education at NYU, and I was studying acute care NP. Then COVID-19 hit, and school went virtual, but we still got to work together getting floated all around Tisch and Kimmel. Each time I ran into her during COVID, even though it was a horrible time, she always found a way to make us laugh or try to make things positive. If these stories give you any idea of Alex as a staff nurse, it is that she is kind, compassionate, and gives her absolute best to her patients and coworkers.

My current path with her is that she is now the nurse educator for our unit, Tisch 10. If anyone was meant to pursue a master's in nursing education, it is her. She excels at it. She has brought so much life and education access to our PACU, and we are all so thankful for it. She makes education accessible, fun, dynamic, and interesting. We can go to her with any question and she welcomes us, and she truly cares about our professional development. She has helped people in our unit pursue certifications and even more in their promotion projects. She supports us, guides us, inspires us to be the best clinicians we can be, and makes us laugh. In 7 years, I have gotten to see all the different sides of RN Alex, but this role as Nurse Educator is the one that makes me the most proud of her.

Thank you for making learning fun and for truly caring about us, Alex.