șÚÁÏłÔčÏ

Category: Profile

Alumnus Nominated for Grammy Award in Music Education

Trevor Nicholas (’08) is a top ten finalist for the 2023 Music Educator Award.

Trevor Nicholas ’08 is a top ten finalist for the 2023 Music Educator Award.

Trevor Nicholas headshot

Trevor Nicholas (’08) is a top ten finalist for the 2023 Music Educator Award. Nicholas also made it to the top ten for the award last Grammy season.ÌęÌę

“Basically, the purpose of this Grammy is to honor the people who’ve poured into the musicians who have gotten Grammys.”ÌęÌę

Nicholas, a vocal ensemble teacher at Senn High School, always knew music was his passion after health issues as a child left him indoors by the piano most days.Ìę

While he knew the topic, the medium was difficult to nail down. Nicholas began at NPU’s School of Music, Art, and Theatre as a music education major with an instrumental focus but switched to a choral focus his senior year.ÌęÌę

Trevor Nicholas playing piano

“I remember [my professor’s] face when I said, ‘I’m changing to choral’ but they let me do my recital with my original music and they let me take those lessons and change the direction of my degree without starting over. They allowed me to be me.”Ìę

Nicholas said he took advantage of all North Park had to offer, which led to his increased awareness of the world around him and armed him with the skills needed to compose music and ultimately be nominated for the prestigious award.Ìę

“All those experiences have come together. I needed those band skills and theory and composition lessons. I needed to be involved in the global impact trips to question the way things were done.”ÌęÌę

Nicholas is grateful, but more so proud of his students and community who helped him get here.ÌęÌę

“This is really our Grammy nomination.”Ìę

Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories News, Profile, Stories

Alumna Contributes to Major Cancer Study

North Park alum Erika Rees-Punia C’10 was part of a major study published this month by the American Cancer Society.

Erika Rees-Punia C’10 was part of a major study published this month by the American Cancer Society.

North Park alumna Erika Rees-Punia C’10 was part of a major study published this month by the American Cancer Society which found adult cancer survivors who have a recent history of chemotherapy are at an increased risk for bone fractures.Ìę

Rees-Punia, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in exercise science, went on to receive her PhD from University of Georgia and has previously been a research fellow and intern at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Cancer Institute.ÌęÌę

In true North Park fashion, Rees-Punia also co-leads the ACS Health Equity workgroup, which aims to lessen health disparities in vulnerable communities. For more information on her cutting-edge research, visit .Ìę

Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories News, Profile, Stories

Alumni Return to Campus for Wedding Photos

Jordan Carmon (’17) and Onella Piyatilake (’16, MA ’19) took wedding photos on campus where they met eight years ago.

Jordan Carmon (’17) and Onella Piyatilake (’16, MA ’19) returned to campus to take wedding photos eight years after they met at Hanson Hall.

“NPU is such a big part of our love story, it’s in the center of it really.”Ìę

Jordan Carmon (’17) and Onella Piyatilake (’16, MA ’19) met at Hanson Hall in 2014. The two became fast friends with their inverted majors and minors — Carmon, a business major with a music minor, and Piyatilake a vocal performance major and business minor.ÌęÌę

Their friendship evolved while performing together across concert band and choir and the pair began dating. After their June 11 wedding, Piyatilake said both she and Carmon knew exactly where to take their wedding pictures:Ìę

“At the place it all began!”Ìę

Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories News, Profile, Stories

Pioneering Nurse Bequeaths $2.4 million Estate to șÚÁÏłÔčÏ

The unassuming “millionaire next door” who eventually earned her PhD, Wilma PetersonÌębequeathed almost her entire estate of more thanÌę$2.4 million to șÚÁÏłÔčÏ.

The unassuming “millionaire next door” who eventually earned her PhD, Wilma PetersonÌębequeathed almost her entire estate of more thanÌę$2.4 million to șÚÁÏłÔčÏ, marking a significant gift in the history of the University.

Wilma Peterson photo

Peterson, who was 99 years old when she died inÌęMarch 2020, worked and taught young nurses at nearby Swedish Hospital in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, when the hospital was affiliated withÌęNorth ParkÌęand the Evangelical Covenant Church, where she also was a lifelong member and had her religious roots.

As her will decrees, the estate gift —Ìęwhich was fully received in October 2021Ìę—Ìęwill be divided between theÌęșÚÁÏłÔčÏÌęSchool of Nursing andÌęNorth Park Theological SeminaryÌęto establish named, endowed faculty chairs in both schools. Peterson, who began working with administrators around 2008 to establish the endowed gifts, lived a long and frugal life in aÌęPortlandÌęsuburb, which allowed the eventual gift to grow. Born to a large Canadian farming family in ruralÌęSaskatchewan in 1921, Peterson was the first in her family to go to university in 1942 and eventually earned her master’s degree in 1953 and a doctorate in 1977, in biology with an emphasis on human physiology because there were few nursing doctorates available.

“Wilma’s life highlights several elements of theÌęNorth ParkÌęstory, past, and present. That includes the determination and subsequent generosity of groundbreaking first-generation students who have been central toÌęNorth Park’sÌęculture since its founding in 1891 as a college for predominantly Swedish immigrants,” saidÌęNorth ParkÌęPresidentÌęMary K. Surridge.

“Today, Wilma’s legacy promises to live on atÌęNorth ParkÌęby providing a stellar education to many of our nursing and theological studies students, who are also often first-generation students with unique backgrounds of their own. Her story will inspire many of our students,” said Surridge.

Peterson became aÌęUnited StatesÌęcitizen while working and teaching at Swedish Hospital. She attended North Park Covenant Church nearÌęNorth Park.

North ParkÌęis planning investiture ceremonies inducting selected professors into the Wilma E. Peterson faculty chairs.

Author lcpostrobinsonPosted on Categories News, Profile, Stories

In the Love of Truth: Rev. Dr. David Kersten is Retiring from a Life of Significance—in Service to the ECC

Even as a child, growing up in the Detroit suburb of Warren, MI, Dave Kersten had a profound sense of the holy, and of God.

Even as a child, growing up in the Detroit suburb of Warren, Michigan, Dave Kersten had a profound sense of the holy, and of God.

“My mom was a deeply spiritual woman,” Kersten said, “almost mystical. When I was in high school, we read Confessions of St. Augustine together. My whole life, I had people telling me, ‘You are going to be a pastor.’ ”

Those people were right.

But Rev. Dr. David Kersten himself wasn’t entirely sure until years later, in 1981, when he completed an internship at Greenwood Community Covenant Church in rural Summerdale, Alabama. The internship was a one-year requirement of the Master of Divinity degree he was pursuing at the North Park Theological Seminary—and he liked his work at that church so much he stayed an extra year.

“We survived a hurricane, got a relief grant, put roofs on homes,” Kersten said. “We built an outdoor lighted sports court for basketball and volleyball in the church yard—had it up and going in two weeks—and it’s still there. I fell in love with preaching. I fell in love with pastoral care. I just got immersed in it.

“I had a deep sense of call coming out of that experience.”

Kersten’s sense of call stayed deep. It led to more than 20 years as a Covenant pastor—with congregations in Alabama, Florida, Washington, and Minnesota. It led to 11 years as executive minister of the Department of the Ordered Ministry in the ECC, the pastor to pastors. And it led to a decade as Vice President for Church Relations at șÚÁÏłÔčÏ and Dean of the North Park Theological Seminary.

Now, after 40 plus years devoted to the Evangelical Covenant Church—and to God’s mission on Earth—Rev. Dr. David Kersten, C’77 S’82 DMin’97, has decided to retire, effective August 1, 2022.

In announcing Kersten’s retirement to the campus community, șÚÁÏłÔčÏ President Mary K. Surridge wrote: “We heartily congratulate Dave on this well-earned milestone, his thoughtful planning for this important transition—and profoundly thank him for a long and valued career of service that has brought so much to the Evangelical Covenant Church, to our seminary, and to șÚÁÏłÔčÏ.”

A Through Line to North Park

Kersten began attending Bethany Covenant Church at age 12, and met his future bride, Sandi, in junior high Sunday school there.

“She is a fourth generation Swedish Covenanter,” Kersten said. “She knew she was going to North Park since birth. I found out about șÚÁÏłÔčÏ from her, and got recruited to play basketball.”

An “honest” six feet seven inches tall, Kersten was a starting center for the Vikings (off and on), and he recalls “a great experience playing at șÚÁÏłÔčÏ. We had a good blend of city kids and Covenant kids playing together on the team. It was one of my deep immersions in race.”

He earned his bachelor’s degree from North Park in psychology and human services in 1977, (he and Sandi were married the August after graduation); he earned his Master of Divinity from North Park in 1982; and, already a Covenant pastor, he earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from North Park in 1997.

Preaching and Posting Up

The newly ordained Covenant pastor served at Bethany Covenant Church in Miami for three years during a turbulent time in South Florida. Racial tensions remained high after the May 1980 riots in Overton and Liberty City. (The riots—which occurred after an all-white jury acquitted four police officers of beating a black insurance salesman to death after a traffic stop—had resulted in 18 deaths and an estimated $100 million in property damage.)

And there were other challenges. As Time Magazine wrote in November 1981:

”South Florida—that postcard corner of the Sunshine State, that lush strip of hibiscus and condominiums stretching roughly from Palm Beach south to Key West—is a region in trouble. An epidemic of violent crime, a plague of illicit drugs and a tidal wave of refugees have slammed into South Florida with the destructive power of a hurricane.”

At Bethany Covenant Church, Kersten helped launch an Hispanic ministry. It was the beginning of a cross-cultural ethos woven early and throughout his journey.

Kersten then pastored at Highland Covenant Church in Bellevue, WA, just outside Seattle, for 11 years, and again took his enthusiasm for basketball with him.

“We built a lovely indoor gym,” he said, “still in great use to this day.”

But it wasn’t all preaching and posting up in the paint for Pastor Dave. In 1994, his ninth year at Highland, Kersten and another church employee were stabbed by a mentally ill parishioner. Both men recovered, but an artery in Kersten’s right shoulder was severed and he underwent emergency surgery.

“I received more than 500 cards and notes from all over the Covenant,” he said. “Addressing my own PTSD issues related to that incident made me a better pastor.”

News reports at the time said that Kersten was in critical condition—and that he forgave his attacker, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

“He is remorseful and motivated for treatment,” Kersten said then. “We knew he wasn’t in his right mind when we went there.”

Highland helped launch a Spanish church, and also helped settle 20 Russian refugee families.

Next Kersten pastored at First Covenant Church in St. Paul, MN, founded in 1874—“an urban church looking for some new energy and life.” Kersten did not build a basketball court this time, “but we did establish a 3 on 3 tourney in the church parking lot!”

They also renovated the church, which Kersten describes as “a gorgeous old sanctuary with exquisite acoustics.”

At First Covenant, where the church had previously settled 100 Hmong families, Kersten helped start a Haitian congregation, “and many are in the church still to this day.”

The Pastors’ Pastor

After six years in St. Paul, Kersten accepted the position of executive minister of the Department of the Ordered Ministry in the ECC, and served for 11 years. The denomination’s executive minister is in charge of credentialing and endorsement of the ministry, continuing education for the denomination’s some 2,000 pastors, as well as care and crisis intervention. He is the pastors’ pastor.

During Kersten’s time as executive minister, the department developed the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program with a $1.67 million grant from the Lilly Endowment in 2003—the first Lilly grant won by any ECC entity.

“The grant funded tremendous resources for pastors,” Kersten said, “in spiritual direction, vocational counseling, leadership development and preaching.Ìę These were all programs developed by pastors for pastors, with the intent of placing agency for vocational development directly in their hands. The programs still continue to this day.”

Since that first Lilly grant, ECC institutions including North Park, have won an additional $13 million for various programs funded by Lilly.

Innovation at the Seminary

As dean of the North Park Theological Seminary for the past 10 years, Kersten has helped shape a generation of vocational leaders for the whole church—and a generation of people answering God’s call to ECC ministry in particular. Think of the ripple effect: in all, more than 400 Christian leaders “called, equipped, and sent” to serve God’s global mission.

“Innovation has been the hallmark of Dave’s decade as seminary dean,” President Surridge said. ÌęUnder his leadership the seminary partnered with the ECC and several ECC regional conferences to create the convenient and affordable Ignite program of cohort distance learning. North Park’s Master of Arts in Christian Formation equips youth pastors, camp directors, adult educators and others to invite the Holy Spirit into the lives of the people and communities they serve. Dual degrees are available in partnership with the School of Business and Nonprofit Management.

And the renowned School of Restorative Arts (SRA) at Stateville Correctional Center, and at Logan Correctional Center for women, offers a master’s degree in Christian Ministry to free and incarcerated students who study together on the inside.

“SRA is a model of innovation that exemplifies North Park’s mission,” Surridge said, “and beautifully realizes all three of the University’s distinctives—Christian, city-centered, and intercultural.”

Kersten said his vocational arc—“pastor for over 20 years, a pastors’ pastor for 11 years, and a decade of forming new pastors—I guess it’s a unique portfolio. I have always been in love with preaching, and in love with pastoral care.”

As a pastoral presence in all his roles, Kersten has demonstrated an exceptional ability to bring scripture into the present moment with vital relevance for the community he serves.

“It begins with a deep listening to the text,” he said, “then commentary and looking at the scholarly interpretation of the text, and then I go back to the context I’m preaching in—what is happening in that community?—and I look for connection points.”

A sustaining verse for Kersten for the past 25 years—and still today as he stands at the threshold of retirement—is John 16:12. Jesus says: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”

“That has been a North Star for me,” Kersten said.

“It opens us up to where is the trail of grace in any crisis or in any inflection point—what is God going to reveal to us in this moment, that allows for optimism and a sense of anticipation?”

Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Announcement, News, Profile, Stories

In the Love of Truth–Rev. Dr. David Kersten is Retiring from a Life of Significance in Service to the ECC

Even as a child, growing up in the Detroit suburb of Warren, MI, Dave Kersten had a profound sense of the holy, and of God.

Even as a child, growing up in the Detroit suburb of Warren, MI, Dave Kersten had a profound sense of the holy, and of God.

“My mom was a deeply spiritual woman,” Kersten said, “almost mystical. When I was in high school, we read Confessions of St. Augustine together. My whole life, I had people telling me, ‘You are going to be a pastor.’ ”

Those people were right.

But Rev. Dr. David Kersten himself wasn’t entirely sure until years later, in 1981, when he completed an internship at Greenwood Community Covenant Church in rural Summerdale, AL. The internship was a one-year requirement of the Master of Divinity degree he was pursuing at the North Park Theological Seminary—and he liked his work at that church so much he stayed an extra year.

“We survived a hurricane, got a relief grant, put roofs on homes,” Kersten said. “We built an outdoor lighted sports court for basketball and volleyball in the church yard—had it up and going in two weeks—and it’s still there. I fell in love with preaching. I fell in love with pastoral care. I just got immersed in it.

“I had a deep sense of call coming out of that experience.”

Kersten’s sense of call stayed deep. It led to more than 20 years as a Covenant pastor—with congregations in Alabama, Florida, Washington, and Minnesota. It led to 11 years as executive minister of the Department of the Ordered Ministry in the ECC, the pastor to pastors. And it led to a decade as Vice President for Church Relations at șÚÁÏłÔčÏ and Dean of the North Park Theological Seminary.

Now, after 40 plus years devoted to the Evangelical Covenant Church—and to God’s mission on Earth—Rev. Dr. David Kersten, C’77 S’82 DMin’97, has decided to retire, effective August 1, 2022.

In announcing Kersten’s retirement to the campus community, șÚÁÏłÔčÏ President Mary K. Surridge wrote: “We heartily congratulate Dave on this well-earned milestone, his thoughtful planning for this important transition—and profoundly thank him for a long and valued career of service that has brought so much to the Evangelical Covenant Church, to our seminary, and to șÚÁÏłÔčÏ.”

A Through Line to North Park

Kersten began attending Bethany Covenant Church at age 12, and met his future bride, Sandi, in junior high Sunday school there.

“She is a fourth generation Swedish Covenanter,” Kersten said. “She knew she was going to North Park since birth. I found out about șÚÁÏłÔčÏ from her, and got recruited to play basketball.”

An “honest” six feet seven inches tall, Kersten was a starting center for the Vikings (off and on), and he recalls “a great experience playing at șÚÁÏłÔčÏ. We had a good blend of city kids and Covenant kids playing together on the team. It was one of my deep immersions in race.”

He earned his bachelor’s degree from North Park in psychology and human services in 1977, (he and Sandi were married the August after graduation); he earned his Master of Divinity from North Park in 1982; and, already a Covenant pastor, he earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from North Park in 1997.

Preaching and Posting Up

The newly ordained Covenant pastor served at Bethany Covenant Church in Miami for three years during a turbulent time in South Florida. Racial tensions remained high after the May 1980 riots in Overton and Liberty City. (The riots—which occurred after an all-white jury acquitted four police officers of beating a black insurance salesman to death after a traffic stop—had resulted in 18 deaths and an estimated $100 million in property damage.)

And there were other challenges. As Time Magazine wrote in November 1981:

”South Florida—that postcard corner of the Sunshine State, that lush strip of hibiscus and condominiums stretching roughly from Palm Beach south to Key West—is a region in trouble. An epidemic of violent crime, a plague of illicit drugs and a tidal wave of refugees have slammed into South Florida with the destructive power of a hurricane.”

At Bethany Covenant Church, Kersten helped launch an Hispanic ministry. It was the beginning of a cross-cultural ethos woven early and throughout his journey.

Kersten then pastored at Highland Covenant Church in Bellevue, WA, just outside Seattle, for 11 years, and again took his enthusiasm for basketball with him.

“We built a lovely indoor gym,” he said, “still in great use to this day.”

But it wasn’t all preaching and posting up in the paint for Pastor Dave. In 1994, his ninth year at Highland, Kersten and another church employee were stabbed by a mentally ill parishioner. Both men recovered, but an artery in Kersten’s right shoulder was severed and he underwent emergency surgery.

“I received more than 500 cards and notes from all over the Covenant,” he said. “Addressing my own PTSD issues related to that incident made me a better pastor.”

News reports at the time said that Kersten was in critical condition—and that he forgave his attacker, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

“He is remorseful and motivated for treatment,” Kersten said then. “We knew he wasn’t in his right mind when we went there.”

Highland helped launch a Spanish church, and also helped settle 20 Russian refugee families.

Next Kersten pastored at First Covenant Church in St. Paul, MN, founded in 1874—“an urban church looking for some new energy and life.” Kersten did not build a basketball court this time, “but we did establish a 3 on 3 tourney in the church parking lot!”

They also renovated the church, which Kersten describes as “a gorgeous old sanctuary with exquisite acoustics.”

At First Covenant, where the church had previously settled 100 Hmong families, Kersten helped start a Haitian congregation, “and many are in the church still to this day.”

The Pastors’ Pastor

After six years in St. Paul, Kersten accepted the position of executive minister of the Department of the Ordered Ministry in the ECC, and served for 11 years. The denomination’s executive minister is in charge of credentialing and endorsement of the ministry, continuing education for the denomination’s some 2,000 pastors, as well as care and crisis intervention. He is the pastors’ pastor.

During Kersten’s time as executive minister, the department developed the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program with a $1.67 million grant from the Lilly Endowment in 2003—the first Lilly grant won by any ECC entity.

“The grant funded tremendous resources for pastors,” Kersten said, “in spiritual direction, vocational counseling, leadership development and preaching.Ìę These were all programs developed by pastors for pastors, with the intent of placing agency for vocational development directly in their hands. The programs still continue to this day.”

Since that first Lilly grant, ECC institutions including North Park, have won an additional $13 million for various programs funded by Lilly.

Innovation at the Seminary

As dean of the North Park Theological Seminary for the past 10 years, Kersten has helped shape a generation of vocational leaders for the whole church—and a generation of people answering God’s call to ECC ministry in particular. Think of the ripple effect: in all, more than 400 Christian leaders “called, equipped, and sent” to serve God’s global mission.

“Innovation has been the hallmark of Dave’s decade as seminary dean,” President Surridge said. ÌęUnder his leadership the seminary partnered with the ECC and several ECC regional conferences to create the convenient and affordable Ignite program of cohort distance learning. North Park’s Master of Arts in Christian Formation equips youth pastors, camp directors, adult educators and others to invite the Holy Spirit into the lives of the people and communities they serve. Dual degrees are available in partnership with the School of Business and Nonprofit Management.

And the renowned School of Restorative Arts (SRA) at Stateville Correctional Center, and at Logan Correctional Center for women, offers a master’s degree in Christian Ministry to free and incarcerated students who study together on the inside.

“SRA is a model of innovation that exemplifies North Park’s mission,” Surridge said, “and beautifully realizes all three of the University’s distinctives—Christian, city-centered, and intercultural.”

Kersten said his vocational arc—“pastor for over 20 years, a pastors’ pastor for 11 years, and a decade of forming new pastors—I guess it’s a unique portfolio. I have always been in love with preaching, and in love with pastoral care.”

As a pastoral presence in all his roles, Kersten has demonstrated an exceptional ability to bring scripture into the present moment with vital relevance for the community he serves.

“It begins with a deep listening to the text,” he said, “then commentary and looking at the scholarly interpretation of the text, and then I go back to the context I’m preaching in—what is happening in that community?—and I look for connection points.”

A sustaining verse for Kersten for the past 25 years—and still today as he stands at the threshold of retirement—is John 16:12. Jesus says: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”

“That has been a North Star for me,” Kersten said.

“It opens us up to where is the trail of grace in any crisis or in any inflection point—what is God going to reveal to us in this moment, that allows for optimism and a sense of anticipation?”

Author lcpostrobinsonPosted on Categories Announcement, News, Profile, Stories

Multi-Media Online Curriculum Prepares Adaptive Leaders in The School of Professional Studies

To survive, and thrive, businesses require resilient and rapid responses to an ever-changing environment along with highly-functioning, well-prepared teams by their side. Acquiring these leadership skills starts with learning in an environment modeling adaptability.

At șÚÁÏłÔčÏ’s School of Professional Studies (SPS), we practice what we teach—especially when it comes to preparing leaders to readily adapt to a changing business landscape.

Leadership classes focus on adaptability as a key take-away skill that will be applied right away in the workforce and is now the norm of hiring expectations. To survive, and thrive, businesses require resilient and rapid responses to an ever-changing environment along with highly-functioning, well-prepared teams by their side. Acquiring these leadership skills starts with learning in an environment modeling adaptability.

Melissa Feltner

“SPS has taught me that we can no longer just do as we have always done in the past, we must learn to adapt and change as quickly as the environment around us is changing,” says SPS student Melissa Feltner.

Covering relevant topics such as managing change and conflict; understanding group and organizational behavior; and leadership and management, SPS courses teach students how to be adaptive leaders.

“My professors emphasize how necessary preparation is as a leader, and my approach to problem solving has evolved. I am empowered to go after more opportunities and not let anything limit me from reaching for the stars,” says SPS student Mika Lenorr.

Online learning for SPS students is the culmination of over 12 years of online teaching experience with ongoing real-time conversations. “My professors regularly engage with us in discussion boards and other forums, which add more depth and perspective to the conversations,” says SPS student Ryan Canfield.

Mika Lenorr

Engaging in a multi-media online model, students participate in a weekly structure of discussion forums, group work, videos, and lectures. “The professors all provide tutorials in the beginning of each course ensuring that we are all comfortable with the required software and technology requirements,” says Lenorr.

While nurturing diverse learners in a supportive environment, classmates delve deep into material, conversing and connecting with one another developing their critical thinking and communication skills. “Each course is structured in a way that gives students the opportunity to collaborate and the independence and confidence to complete their tasks,” says Lenorr.

Ryan Canfield

With specific courses geared towards understanding what it means to be a leader, students learn more about themselves and the type of leader they aspire to be. For Canfield, the courses he took in Leadership & Management, Understanding Group & Organizational Behavior, Servant Leadership, and Business Ethics strengthened his understanding of how to function as a leader in his career. “One of the greatest impacts on developing as a leader was learning about servant leadership and how this style allows me to align my approach with my core values of helping others,” says Canfield.

“My Strategic Management and Servant Leadership course have both been the biggest influence for how I have reshaped my approach in the way that I engage with people within my personal life and in my career,” adds Lenorr.

An attentive learning environment, with a shared goal to develop personally and professionally, fosters close relationships between faculty and peers for an all-around valuable experience. “Being part of such a supportive environment has allowed me to truly absorb the content of my courses and use that information in my everyday life,” says Feltner.

Author Ellen AlmerPosted on Categories Profile, Stories

MSN and MBA Dual Degrees Propel Mission-Focused Entrepreneur Jelitsa Legarreta

Jelitsa Legarreta, G’18, has carved out a niche in the highly competitive health and beauty space.

Woman stands in sunlit workspace behind a table spread with personal care products.Energetic, passionate, and positive, Jelitsa Legarreta, G’18, has carved out a niche in the highly competitive health and beauty space. Inspired by her family matriarchs, and with her own young daughter serving as the benchmark for safety and efficacy, Legarreta distributes her good-for-you facial products at boutiques and via her e-commerce website. Legarreta’s Latina-founded skin care brand, is inspired by culture, confidence, and self-love.

“I knew from my business entrepreneurship and marketing courses that I would need to distinguish my brand and products that reflected a real understanding of my target market well,” said Legarreta.

Legarreta, who grew up in Chicago, realized that there was market share yet to be captured in the ethically and naturally-sourced skin care arena reflecting and celebrating Latina culture.

Pursuing dual graduate degrees simultaneously, MSN in Leadership and Management with an MBA, Legarreta found North Park to be the perfect choice to enhance her skills and make a difference. “I really value learning in an environment with smaller class sizes and instructors who truly care about your mastering of the material and your success,” said Legarreta.

Over a decade of experience in nursing, Legarreta applied her knowledge of the human body towards a passion near and dear to her heart—her family. “I was about to apply a product on my daughter when I stopped to question a product’s safety. After discovering that I wasn’t satisfied with what was out on the market, I decided to launch Uviña,” said Legarreta.

Honing her nursing skills through North Park’s School of Nursing and Health Science (SNHS) and business acumen in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management (SBNM), Legarreta worked hard while earning the dual master’s degrees in nursing and business administration—and is loving what she has been able to accomplish.

“My education at șÚÁÏłÔčÏ not only strengthened the skills I use in the nursing profession but also instilled the knowledge and confidence that I apply everyday towards developing, promoting, and distributing Uviña products,” said Legarreta.

Legarreta’s dedication as a nurse and leadership as an entrepreneur is visible. She currently is the Associate Director at the Joint Commission and Uviña is a growing brand being embraced by the community.

“I am so fortunate that I get to do every day what I love—making a difference in the nursing field and helping people feel good about what they apply on their skin,” said Legarreta. “North Park holds a special place for me as I take on my day with knowledge, support, and confidence,” added Legarreta.

Author Ellen AlmerPosted on Categories Profile, Stories

Doctor of Nursing Graduate Making a Difference in Palliative Care

As a North Park alum, C’07 G’11, Duffy already had first-hand experience with the quality of education from the School of Nursing. With two degrees earned from North Park, applying to the DNP program was a simple choice. “I would do it all again at șÚÁÏłÔčÏ,” said Duffy.

Jennifer Duffy always knew that should North Park offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, it would be no question that she would choose North Park to pursue her degree. As a North Park alum, C’07 G’11 G’20, Duffy already had first-hand experience with the quality of education from the School of Nursing. With two degrees earned from North Park, applying to the DNP program was a simple choice—she thrived in the small, personal, and supportive environment that extended into the doctorate program. “I would do it all again at șÚÁÏłÔčÏ,” said Duffy.

Jennifer Duffy

The online program, in place prior to COVID-19, worked well for Duffy. “There were no issues, even though the DNP is a new program,” said Duffy. “The faculty always had their plans set up prior to class starting,” added Duffy.

Now working in the Cancer Center at a Chicago area medical center, Duffy’s goals of making a difference in quality improvement measures within palliative care have come to fruition. While engaged in the DNP program, Duffy decided to focus her project on Increasing Advance Directive Completion in Cancer Patients in Outpatient Palliative Care.

“I had all the tools and support I needed to complete my project with success,” said Duffy. Guided by DNP faculty advisor Dr. Trudy DeWaters, faculty consultant Dr. Janice Zeller, and site mentor Dr. Nooshig Salvador, Duffy was able to achieve measurable results with her DNP project.

Advance directives, a term referring to families, patients, and providers making important decisions in a health-related crisis, is an area that Duffy found needed attention especially within palliative care. Recognizing the burden families and healthcare providers encounter when making emergency and quality of life decisions such as do-not-resuscitate (DNR), Duffy homed in on facilitating these conversations through the use of a discussion template.

When Duffy first started the project, the advance directives completion rate was a low 12% and by the time Duffy developed and implemented a discussion template, the completion rate jumped to 67%.

With her DNP degree in hand, Duffy is continuing her work facilitating and documenting these essential discussions between nurses and patients. She also plans to submit her manuscript to a nursing journal for publication and as a long-term goal, Duffy intends to give back and teach the next generation of nurses.

Author Ellen AlmerPosted on Categories Profile, Stories

NPRESS Tradition Continues: Four Seniors Virtually Present their Research

Since 2015, the North Park Research Experience for Summer Students (NPRESS) has been strengthening students’ relationships with North Park faculty as well as their research skills over the course of eight weeks.

Since 2015, the North Park Research Experience for Summer Students (NPRESS) has been strengthening students’ relationships with North Park faculty as well as their research skills over the course of eight weeks. While the presentations were delivered virtually on August 18th this year, the NPRESS tradition continued, providing the cohort of seniors with graduate-level research experience.

NPRESS offers undergraduates the opportunity to engage as one would in a graduate setting—requiring each research proposal to demonstrate merit, defined goals, and commitment.

This year’s NPRESS student cohort of seniors included:

  • Emmanuel Carrillo, Fine Art and Philosophy
  • Miakala Rath, Business Management
  • Gabrielle Rigg, History
  • Donna Shergarfi, Political Science and Communications

Emmanuel Carrillo

Student in green cargo jacket stands in front of brick wall.
Emmanuel Carrillo

Titling his project “Nostalgia of the Present: Art and Design in Response to Cultural Hauntology,” Emmanuel Carrillo, a Fine Art and Philosophy major, explored the philosophical idea of hauntology through art. Carrillo said, “My mentor really helped me think about how art can respond to ideas from the academic world in various ways, which led me down interesting avenues. I ventured forth from my comfort zone in painting and drawing to more experimental work in performance and video art,” said Carrillo on his work with Professor Kelly VanderBrug.

Miakala Rath

Mentored by Dr. Mark Gavoor, Miakala Rath, presented “Quality Transformation in Higher Education.” Rath, a senior Business Management major, studied metrics and quality transformation models to measure improvement in higher education.

Gabrielle Rigg

Student with curly brown hair and gray t-shirt stands in front of brick wall.
Gabrielle Rigg

Gabrielle Rigg, who is majoring in History and will be graduating this fall, collaborated with Dr. Sarah Doherty to present “Unlikely Neighbor: The Relationship between Anglo and Japanese Farmers in the Central Valley of California during World War II.” Inspired to continue her project, Rigg said, “The online NPRESS experience required Dr. Doherty and I to adapt our original aims of this project, but I am thankful I was able to conduct remote interviews and I will hopefully continue this research in the future.”

Donna Shergarfi

As a senior majoring in Political Science and Communications, Donna Shergarfi conducted research of the appropriation of Black culture under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel White Hodge. During the virtual event, Shergarfi presented “Keeping up with the Kim: An Ethnonarrative of the Kardashian Empire.”

North Park’s NPRESS graduates have applied their research experience, moving on to a range of graduate studies including STEM, sociology, and philosophy.

Author Ellen AlmerPosted on Categories News, Profile, StoriesTags