Schools
EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Melaine Valeriano, Class Of 2006
A longtime Little Company of Mary nurse says her interest in healthcare was first realized during her time as a student at EPCHS.
EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Melaine Valeriano’s career in healthcare was sparked during her time as a student at Evergreen Park Community High School. It was in an anatomy and physiology class here that the possibility of becoming a nurse was noticed.
“We were offered a field trip to the museum to watch an open heart surgery live on camera as well as another field trip to Little Company of Mary for a hospital tour,” Valeriano said. “While we were there to shadow and see all of the different healthcare careers, I knew that nursing was for me.”
It was right there at Little Company of Mary, an Evergreen Park institution since 1930, where Valeriano’s professional career took off. She became a nurse’s assistant there for five years shortly after her EPCHS graduation.
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“I was working and learning alongside many of the nurses I looked up to,” she said. “LCM is more than the community hospital down the street - it has always been my home away from home for the last 15 years.”
After her time as a nurse’s assistant, Valeriano became a registered nurse and “continued to grow professionally with experiences in adult telemetry, critical care, case management and nursing education.”
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Before Little Company, EPCHS could be considered Valeriano’s home away from home. She was among the school’s most involved students of the mid 2000s as a participant in the school musicals, AFS, Student Government (she was executive president her senior year) and Homecoming Court.
Valeriano was also a founding member of Operation Snowball, which continues to thrive at EPCHS a decade-and-a-half later.
“What I remember most and best about EPCHS is the friendships I had and still have to this day, the amazing staff and teachers who supported us and knew everyone by name, the dances and Homecoming week, which was always my favorite,” she said.
Currently, Valeriano is enrolled in the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse practitioner program and plans to work in a clinic or hospital setting after graduating.
“My goal is to establish a rapport with my patients that will enable an environment of healthcare education and disease prevention strategies as well as management of chronic illnesses.”
Advice To Current EPCHS Students
“Work hard, join all the clubs and enjoy the fun times during these 4 years!”
