For Gonzaga nursing student Alison Wendling (’16), healing is a whole-person endeavor.
“At GU, the nursing department really adopts the Jesuit thought that a person is made up of the mind, body and spirit,” she explained. “I think that’s so important because there is so much more to healing than just helping them physically when they come into a hospital or other healthcare facility.”
Originally from Renton, Washington, and positively fascinated by people, Wendling has declared a minor in sociology along with her major in nursing. Her most memorable moment from her classes so far came while she was working in a stroke unit at a rehabilitation center during clinicals.
“I was caring for a patient who had suffered a pretty bad stroke,” she recalled. “He was unable to blink one eye, swallow or even talk. By motioning and using an alphabet chart, he asked if I could shave his face—so I did. While I shaved him, I talked and joked around with him. By the end of that time, he was just so happy and appreciative that he was clean-shaven. It made me realize that it’s truly the little things you can do for people that are most meaningful. I will always remember that particular patient for the rest of my nursing career and life.”
Wendling is very active with the Christian Living Community. Even with her busy academic and clinical schedule, she still makes time to get together with this group of young women to share in fellowship. She also volunteered with a retirement community near campus prior to starting her clinical courses. She enjoyed playing card games and making crafts with the residents and said that her time building community and listening to their stories was “amazing.”
Scholarships are making Wendling’s Gonzaga experience possible, and she is truly grateful for the opportunities they have provided.
“It means so much to me and my family,” she said. “I don’t think I could thank Gonzaga donors enough for changing my life like this.”