Victoria Pardy, a 2024 graduate of the licensed practical nursing program at Kankakee Community College, has been awarded the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students. The annual award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to express gratitude to nurses with programs that recognize them for the extraordinary, compassionate, and skillful care they provide patients and families.
Pardy, a Watseka resident, was nominated during her final semester at KCC by a patient she cared for while doing a clinical rotation at Riverside Medical Center.
“It was nice to see Tori’s smiling and familiar face come into my room,” the nominating patient said. “She reminded me we had met at Riverside in Watseka when I was coming in for chemo. I never saw anything but a smile and concern for the patients. She went beyond just checking the vitals, making sure I was comfortable and pain free. If she couldn’t help me herself, she would let the nurse know what was going on. Tori seems to have the capabilities – with willingness to learn, showing concern for the patient, and the personality – needed for being a good nurse.” The nominator’s name is withheld to protect their privacy.
Pardy has accepted a job at a Carle Health facility in the orthopedics surgical unit.
A committee at KCC chose Pardy for the award, which was presented on July 25 at KCC’s LPN pinning ceremony. She received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
KCC’s practical nursing program has a competitive entry process and accepts new students each fall semester. It incorporates classroom lectures, clinical experiences, and lab demonstrations. The program is designed to prepare students for work in hospital departments, as well as in long-term care, home care, business and industry, outpatient clinics, public agencies, and physicians’ offices. LPNs also may apply for advanced placement into KCC’s registered nursing program.
For information about entry requirements, consult with a KCC advisor or contact the program director, Jennifer Rogers at jrogers@kcc.edu<mailto:jrogers@kcc.edu> or phone 815-802-8828.