Maci Ilgen

The world of nursing has inspired me to never stop giving. There are so many people in the world that need care, but cannot receive it. As a nurse, I have the ability to care for people every day, offer compassion, and give back to the people who are in need.

My dream career is to work with children. I will be starting my career at Hershey Medical Center on their Pediatric Surgical Care Unit. Eventually, I plan to go back to school to get my master's degree in order to educate nursing students on how to provide the quality and compassionate care that every patient deserves.

Hands-on experience was one of the main reasons I chose Penn College. Also, the nursing professors want to see all students succeed while pushing students to be their very best. For example, I was able to complete a nursing externship at the Children’s Hospital at Hershey Medical Center because my professors supported me by writing letters of recommendation. In turn, this allowed me to gain more confidence, provided the additional hands-on experience that I was looking for, and made me feel more comfortable while reinforcing my skillset.

The most impactful moment while in Guatemala was how thankful all the patients were. When I was getting someone’s blood pressure, they thought it was the best thing in the world because someone was actually caring for them. Another moment that made me feel so grateful for everything I have was when the little children got so excited to receive a toothbrush, clothes, or a small toy. Those are the small things we tend to take for granted living here in the United States. It was also very eye opening to see how the people of Guatemala lived. Most of our patients in Guatemala lived in very dirty conditions. Again, this experience taught me to be thankful for everything I have.