Marist Graduates Receive Scholarships From Blue Island Community Healthcare

Bridget Allen (left) and Jennifer Hodorowicz (Photos: Submitted by Subjects)

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Bridget Allen of Blue Island and Jennifer Hodorowicz of Palos Heights are two of the four Saint Xavier University students from the School of Nursing to be awarded scholarships from Blue Island Community Healthcare Foundation.

Bridget Allen graduated from Marist High School and started college at Western Illinois University. She transferred to Saint Xavier to receive “the best nursing education possible.” Bridget chose to pursue nursing as a career after having minor surgery on her back. She says, “The nurses who took care of me pre and post op were really nice and caring and made me want others to feel like that too.” Bridget is always on the go between school and two jobs, Chipotle in Beverly and Macy’s in Orland Park. Because she has found that she works best under pressure and is a good multi-tasker, Bridget plans to go into critical care nursing, preferably in an emergency room.

Jen Hodorowicz, also a Marist High School graduate, has always loved taking care of others and making people feel better. It’s no surprise, then, that she’s enjoyed every clinical experience she’s had so far. She is currently working on the mental health floor at Mercy Hospital as a collegiate nurse. Jen expects to float to other departments at Mercy, but she requested mental health to start because “there are many social stigmas about the mentally ill that are unfounded; mental health patients are no different than any other patients at the hospital seeking help.” After completing her R.N., Jen is considering working to become a nurse anesthetist. When Jen’s not studying or working, she can be found playing with her dogs, a German shepherd and a schnoodle.

Started in the 1970s as a supporting organization for St. Francis Hospital, Blue Island Community Healthcare Foundation continues the legacy started by St. Francis Hospital, which operated as a nonprofit in Blue Island for over a century. The organization now funds various charitable groups that serve the area in providing such services as health screenings, programs
for disabled children and adults, assistance for those with mental illnesses and addictions, and nursing education.