EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Erin (Watts) Stalley, Class Of 2003

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Erin (Watts) Stalley has some short and simple, albeit useful, advice for the current students of Evergreen Park Community High School.

“Enjoy your time there,” she said. “It is short, but some of the best moments of your life are right now, in this very moment.”

Many of Stalley’s favorite memories come from her time as an EPCHS student. The 2003 Mustang alum was part of a varsity softball team that advanced to the Elite Eight round of the IHSA state playoffs in one of the final seasons under legendary head coach Marilyn Wax.

“I had the privilege of being one of the last players to be coached by the legendary Coach Wax,” Stalley said. “I was able to represent EPCHS and compete in the home run derby downstate. I am proud to say that I came in 2nd and was named All-Area catcher by the Daily Southtown newspaper.”

Outside of softball, Stalley remembers having many amazing teachers.

“Mr. (Krist) Enstrom was my favorite,” she said. “I remember kids would leave trails of pennies in the hallways because he would always pick up change off the floor. He said he did it because he ‘had to pay for his kids’ college.’”

“The atmosphere of EPCHS was great and I have lots of great memories there.”

Stalley continued her softball career collegiately at Lake Forest College, where her accolades included being named Academic All-Conference, NCAA All-Tournament Team, Midwest Conference Player of the Year and Great Lakes All-Tournament Team.

Although she studied political science and had eyed a career as an attorney, it wasn’t until after her college graduation when she changed her mind and decided to enter the medical field instead. She enrolled in nursing school at Loyola University Chicago and received a bachelors of science in nursing.

“I decided to become a nurse because I was told there was a need for nurses when I graduated and the world was saturated with attorneys at the time,” Stalley said. “There was a call about a nursing shortage due to baby boomers retiring and not enough nurses to replace them. I decided to go back to school and become a nurse with the full support of my husband who was also a nurse at the time. He played a strong reason in why I became a nurse.”

Stalley began her nursing career in the Trauma/Surgical ICU at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where she worked for five years. From there, she moved on to working in the urgent cares operated by Northwestern Medicine in the western suburbs. She’s still working with Northwestern Medicine today at Central DuPage Hospital, where she works in the pre-admission department and prepares patients for same day and short stay procedures.

A mother of three, Stalley said her future goals are “to raise my kids, continue to work as a nurse for a long time, and volunteer in my local community.”

Among her volunteer efforts are helping out with her kids’ youth programs and coaching them in multiple sports.

“It is so fun to come around full circle,” she said. “Watching them play gives me greater joy than I ever had when I played myself.”