Major: Nursing
When Jhenevie Oca was 11, her grandfather suffered a life-altering stroke and was placed in a nursing home.
During the next several years, Oca would go to the nursing home right after school and spend time with him as her family provided primary care.
“I was a typical teenager and did not want to be there, so my attitude was very different to what it should have been,” she said. “It took his death for me to realize what it meant to be selfless and to not leave a person when they are facing their darkest hour. I wanted to give the kindness he deserved to others, to turn remorse into something beautiful.”
While the Nursing program really pushed us, the faculty genuinely cared about the students and wanted us to succeed.
Jhenevie Oca
Because her sister attended College of DuPage, Oca decided to do the same. She also was named a Presidential Scholar, which covered two years of tuition as well as enrollment in the Honors Program and Phi Theta Kappa, which made it a smart option both financially and academically.
“I loved COD instantly,” she said. “While the Nursing program really pushed us, the faculty genuinely cared about the students and wanted us to succeed. Professor Judy Carino is the type of nurse I want to be. She told us to treat every patient as if they were a family member.
“I also learned so much from my cohort. They represented all ages and were so diverse, and they were here because they wanted to be here. Even through virtual learning during the pandemic, I was inspired by them, which made me want to inspire others.”
While at COD, she received multiple awards from the COD Foundation, including the Foundation Achievers, Bookstore, Affordable Textbook Competition, and Career and Technical Education Needs Textbook scholarships. She also received a scholarship from the Illinois Community College Faculty Association and the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students from the DAISY Foundation.
Oca graduated with honors and was selected to give the commencement speech during the Nursing Pinning Ceremony. She currently is finishing the RN to BSN program at Purdue University and works as an ICU nurse at Rush Copley, where she received the Future of Nursing Scholarship.
“Nursing will always be a learning experience, and the lessons it has taught not only about medicine but also in life have been invaluable to me,” she said. “I see my family in every interaction I make with my patients and their families. My goal is to give patients the best outcome possible.”
As for COD, Oca was sad to leave after graduating and highly recommends it to anyone.
“I will always miss COD because I don’t think I will find a more beautiful educational community,” she said. “The best thing about COD is how much it cares about the students. I was able to build so many lasting relationships and it prepared me for the future.”
Learn more about the Nursing program at College of DuPage
COD Stories
"I also decided to attend COD because they incorporate sophisticated technology in the Nursing program. Having multifunctional mannequins, virtual reality technology and modern simulation hospital settings available to students told me that I would get a good education at COD.” - Sofie Langan
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"My wife got into nursing in her mid-20s, and as I heard about her day-to-day adventures, I got more and more interested." - Tony Badway
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"The program helps you explore the many avenues of nursing, and I’m now an ER nurse because my ER clinical was amazing." - Renee Mecklenburg
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"The classes I took at COD helped me to stand out among applicants to gain admission into a four-year nursing degree program while preparing me to face the challenges during my education toward my Bachelor of Science in Nursing." - Felix Boamah
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"I was with my mother during all of her treatments and immediately realized the skill and expertise all of her nursing care providers had. This particular part of my mother’s cancer journey is what ultimately drove me to Nursing at COD." - Heather Havericak
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