MSN, RN

TTUHSC School of Nursing

Lauren Barnett grew up surrounded by nurses, including her grandmother and a great-aunt whose stories of serving as a Navy nurse first sparked her sense of what the profession could be. Now an instructor at TTUHSC School of Nursing with nine years in the field, Lauren found the challenge and purpose she was looking for in nursing education. She credits Dr. Terry Hill, whose class on his own “why” for becoming a nurse inspired her to pursue her master’s degree and step into teaching. What keeps her showing up each day is simple: she loves what she does, and she hopes to help every student become a compassionate, skilled nurse. Her advice to those just starting out: lean into the challenges, take care of yourself, and cherish the friendships nursing brings.

RN, BSN

NWTHS

Gwen Campbell grew up in a farming and ranching family, where the realities of life from birth to death taught her early that care means presence, dignity, and compassion as much as healing. Over 40 years at NWTHS, she has carried that grounding into work that reaches well beyond the bedside, including disaster planning, emergency management, and regional and statewide healthcare coordination. She credits Elizabeth Houdashell, RN, an early mentor whose clinical skill and patient advocacy shaped the values she still leads by today. Gwen’s advice to new nurses: stay humble, ask questions, and always lead with compassion, because patients remember how you made them feel.

BSN, RN

NWTHS

Alissa Dillard set out to care for newborn babies, but a different path opened for her in emergency medicine, where she has spent 12 of her 15 years in nursing. Now leading the Emergency Department at Northwest Texas Healthcare, she credits her earliest preceptors, Teri Shelton in the newborn nursery and John and Glenda Sappington and Walter Uy in the ED, with shaping the nurse she’s become. What keeps her showing up with compassion is simple: she thinks of her own kids and asks what she’d want for their care. Her advice to new nurses: you have the power to change a patient’s life, not just with medical interventions, but with kindness, compassion, and communication.

MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Family Care Clinic of Panhandle

Malesa Gray’s strong passion to serve others led her into nursing, and it’s the same passion that continues to push her forward 11 years later at Family Care Clinic of Panhandle. Guided by 1 Corinthians 10:31 and grounded by the unconditional love of her family and friends, she finds purpose in showing compassion and advocating for people in their most vulnerable moments. What keeps her going is witnessing the quiet but powerful difference that comfort, healing, and dignity make in someone’s life. Her advice to new nurses: never stop learning, and always remember your why.

BSN, RN, CEN, TCRN

BSA Emergency Department

Nikki Harton decided she wanted to be a nurse in kindergarten, watching her grandmother’s nurse juggle medications, machines, and constant updates to the family without ever losing her kindness. Eleven years later, Nikki brings that same steadiness to the BSA Emergency Department, guided by mentors Justin Mabery, Faith Montano, Debbie Casida, and Mandi Cranmer, who taught her to advocate fiercely and lead with compassion. She shows up every day knowing life is fragile, and that kindness, presence, and understanding can change everything for a patient in their hardest moment. Her advice to new nurses: give yourself grace, trust your gut, and never be afraid to ask for help.

RN, BSN

Amarillo VA Health Care System

Kimberely Herring was raised by her grandparents, and it was accompanying her grandmother to wound care appointments for a stubborn MRSA infection that first drew her toward nursing. Watching the strength, patience, and skill it took to care for her grandmother during that difficult time taught Kimberely what real dedication looks like. Now with nine years at the Amarillo VA Health Care System, she carries that same dedication into her work, recently catching a critical flaw in the national early-warning system for hypothermic patients, a discovery that led to a nationwide update. For Kimberely, nursing is a calling, and this recognition means her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

BSN, RN

AOMS / Lancesoft Nursing

Jessica Jacobo’s mother was her first example of what nursing could be, watching her care for others with compassion, strength, and selflessness set Jessica on the same path. Ten years in, now with AOMS and Lancesoft Nursing, she credits her faith, her husband, and her son as the reasons she keeps showing up with compassion, believing caring for others is part of the purpose God has placed on her life. To Jessica, this recognition represents every patient who trusted her, every mentor who invested in her, and every coworker who pushed her to grow. Her advice to new nurses: never stop learning, never be afraid to ask questions, and always lead with compassion, because patients may forget the clinical details, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.

RN

Collingsworth General Hospital

Kelli Killian’s path in nursing began as a nurse aide and rose all the way to Chief Nursing Officer at her hometown hospital, Collingsworth General. What started as a way to serve her community and provide for her daughter as a young mother has grown into a career built on compassion. She’s especially grateful that many of the people who trained her years ago are now her own team members, a full-circle reminder of the mentorship that shaped her. Kelli treats every patient the way she’d want her own family treated, and her advice to new nurses is simple: give grace, show empathy, and be the smiling face patients remember long after the medications and treatments are forgotten.

RN, CMSRN

NWTHS

Stacha McGee has always wanted to help people, and 19 years into her nursing career at Northwest Texas Healthcare System, that hasn’t changed. She credits the coworkers she’s worked alongside through the years as her biggest influence, calling them her home away from home. What keeps her showing up with compassion is the belief that she might be exactly who a patient, family member, or new employee needs that day, whether it’s a smile, a listening ear, or a steady hand. Her advice to new nurses: nursing can be stressful, so always look for the silver lining.

RN, BSN

NWTHS

Tristan Morin has had a compassionate and caring heart since she was young, and she believes nursing was her divine calling. Now a cardiac nurse at Northwest Texas Hospital, she credits Heather Weatherbee for teaching her everything she knows about cardiac care, her former manager Angi Dressen for modeling what it means to lead with integrity, and her husband Tyler for keeping her grounded through it all. Tristan shows up with compassion because she believes it extends beyond patients to coworkers too, creating a place where everyone feels valued. Her advice to new nurses: nursing is more than a job, it’s a calling, so lead with compassion, stay curious, and never lose sight of why you chose this profession.

MSN, RN

BSA

Justin Mulanax lost his mother to a long illness in 2009, and that loss lit the fire to finally go to nursing school so he could be there for others during their hardest moments. Now seven years into his career in BSA’s NICU, he finds this recognition especially meaningful since he received a Panhandle 25 scholarship back in 2018, making this a full-circle moment. He credits the NICU and Women, Infant, and Children’s nurses he works alongside for inspiring him daily, and what keeps him coming back each shift is watching babies reach milestones and helping their parents feel ready to bring them home. His advice to new nurses: never stop learning and asking questions, there are no dumb ones.

BSN, RN, CMSRN

BSA

Trinity Munoz decided to become a nurse after watching nurses care for her sick family members, not just with medical skill but with comfort, patience, and emotional support that left a lasting impression. Now 13 years into her career at BSA, she credits her family, especially her mother, for teaching her the compassion, patience, and kindness that guide her practice today. What keeps her showing up is simple: the grateful smile, the relieved family member, the appreciation of her team, reminders that compassion is at the heart of nursing. Her advice to new nurses: be gentle with yourself, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and never forget why you chose this profession.

PhD, RN

West Texas A&M University

Colleen Peace became a nurse after losing both her father and mother-in-law, experiences that showed her how nurses can steady a family during its most vulnerable moments. Now a nurse educator at West Texas A&M University with 18 years in the field, she turned her instinct to listen, comfort, and advocate into a structured, evidence-based practice grounded in compassion and integrity. She credits Dr. Collette Loftin as the most influential role model in her career, someone who embodies leadership, integrity, and humanity. Colleen’s advice to new nurses: be kind to yourself, ask questions, lean on your mentors, and always recognize the humanity of your patients, since your presence in their vulnerable moments will define your practice.

LVN

FMC – Canyon

Cara Ramirez grew up three houses down from the hospital in her hometown, and from as far back as she can remember, all she ever wanted was to be a nurse. Thirty years into her career at FMC-Canyon, she’s spent the last 20 as Dr. Tori Marnell’s nurse, someone whose compassion and clinical skill taught her the value of empathy, patience, and resilience. Cara shows up every day remembering that patients may forget their medications, but they’ll never forget how they were treated. Her advice to new nurses: don’t compare yourself to someone with decades of experience, confidence comes after competence, and the safest nurses are the ones who know when to ask for help.

RN, MSN, EdD

Retired – West Texas A&M University

Helen Reyes spent 34 years in nursing, culminating in her role as a WTAMU nursing department head from 2008 to 2021, where she pioneered one of the region’s first high-fidelity simulation programs. She credits two women at pivotal points in her career: Barbara Ross, who encouraged her to take the leap into nursing school, and Heidi Taylor, who urged her toward education. Now retired, Helen says being a nurse is simply who she is and always will be, and she shows up with compassion because she’s paying forward the kindness shown to her over the years. Her advice to new nurses: be patient with yourself, nursing is a lifelong process of learning, and trust that you were placed in this role for a reason.

BSN, RN

BSA

Mackenzie Romero followed her mother into nursing, who has served as an RN and NP in the Panhandle for more than 35 years, and the two still swap wins, challenges, and frustrations from the field. Ten years into her own career at BSA Hospital, working with the neonatal population, Mackenzie credits her mentor Tandolynn Hinojosa, NNP, for believing in her as a new nurse and investing in her growth, something she now strives to pass on to her own new nurses. She leads by doing the right thing even when no one’s watching, and shows up with compassion because nursing has never felt like “just a job” to her. Her advice to new nurses: give yourself grace, never stop learning and growing, and remember that nursing is a field with limitless opportunity.

MSN, RN

Plains Memorial Hospital – Dimmitt, TX

With 36 years in nursing, Jill Rushing has never lost sight of the calling she felt as a child. She is quick to share credit with the colleagues who inspire her every day, especially those providing direct bedside care. For Jill, nursing has always been about compassion first: showing up, helping those who need it most, and making someone’s day a little brighter. Her advice to new nurses is simple. You are never “just a nurse.” Your expertise and heart make a lasting difference for patients and families alike.

RN

Baptist Community Services

Erin Schmidt discovered her love of teaching long before she became a nurse, playing school and “performing surgery” on stuffed animals as a child. Twenty-two years later, that same instinct drives her work today, whether she is training fellow employees or CPR students at CPR Express Amarillo. Erin credits a circle of mentors, Jeri Tyler, Sharon Neal, Audra Anderson, Karen Jeffers, Vicki Brooks, and Robert Smith, for pushing her further than she imagined she could go. Her advice for new nurses: never underestimate the impact of simple kindness, and stay endlessly curious.

MSN, RN, CPN

TTUHSC – School of Nursing

After 43 years in nursing, Sharon Shelton has built a career around meeting people where they are, from her earliest days as a nurse’s aide on a pediatric unit to her current role shaping the next generation as a nurse educator. Her path through pediatric units, a children’s hospital, and school nursing taught her that caring for a patient means caring for their whole family. Sharon shares this recognition with the patients, colleagues, and students who shaped her along the way, and she hopes to pass on the same compassion and integrity to every nurse she teaches.

RN, CFRN, CEN

Recently answered the call to stay home

Casey Simpson has spent 17 years drawn to the place where medicine and science meet the people who need them most. Surrounded throughout her career by nurses whose compassion and leadership set the standard, Casey calls this recognition beyond what she ever hoped to achieve. She believes the smallest act of compassion can change someone’s life, and that nursing is less a job than a calling to be a light for others. Her advice for new nurses: give yourself grace, because growth takes time.

MSN, RN, CNE, CNEcl, CCRN, CEN

West Texas A&M University + BSA Health ER/SICU

For Ryann Thompson, nursing was born from watching her family navigate chronic illness, including the loss of her grandmother to antiphospholipid syndrome and her mother’s ongoing journey with the same condition. Those experiences taught her that patients want to feel heard as much as they want to feel cared for. Now a nurse educator with 7.5 years in the field, Ryann finds purpose in shaping the next generation, inspired by mentors who saw her potential before she recognized it herself. Her advice to new nurses: never stop learning, never lose the passion that brought you into nursing, and remember there’s no limit to the difference you can make.

BSN, RN, CLC

Coalition of Health Services, Nurse-Family Partnership

Brianna Tilson’s path into nursing began in an unexpected place: her own labor and delivery room, watching a nursing student explain the birth process with knowledge and compassion. Fourteen years later, that same spirit guides her work supporting first-time mothers through pregnancy and early parenthood. Brianna credits her mother, a respiratory therapist, as her biggest influence, and says this recognition arrived at a moment when she needed the reminder that her hard work truly matters. Her advice to new nurses: give yourself grace, because the way you make people feel is something they’ll always remember.

BSN, RN, CEN, TCRN

NWTHS

Thirteen years into her nursing career, Shannon Villarreal has grown from bedside emergency nurse to a leader who develops and supports the nurses providing that care every day. She credits mentors John and Glenda Sappington for laying the foundation of her career, Ruie Melinsky for showing her what compassion looks like in action, and Alissa Dillard for teaching her to lead with integrity. Shannon believes patients may not remember every detail of an ER visit, but they will remember how they were treated. Her advice to new nurses: stay curious, and never underestimate the impact you have on the people around you.

RN, MHA

TTUHSC

Paula Winkleblack’s path to nursing grew out of her own health experience and her work in community mental health, where she saw firsthand the difference dedicated care can make. Now in a leadership role after 20 years in the field, Paula credits her first nursing supervisor, Carol Hergert, for teaching her to lead alongside her team rather than from behind a desk. Her greatest motivation is her staff, and she sees supporting their growth and wellbeing as central to her work. Her advice to new nurses: success isn’t about perfection, it comes from giving your best and showing grace to yourself and your team.

MSN, RN

Amarillo College – LVN Instructor

With 32 years in nursing, Sylvia Wyer has built a career on the belief that nursing is a calling combining compassion, knowledge, and service. She credits her first clinical instructor, Sandy Fricks, and Dr. Richard Pullen for laying the foundation of the nurse and teacher she is today. Now shaping the next generation of LVN students, Sylvia finds motivation in knowing that even the smallest act of kindness can leave a lasting impact. Her advice to new nurses: never stop learning, never lose your compassion, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.