Fueling dreams and helping patients

Heather Dooley, RN
Centra Acute Rehabilitation Center 

Heather knew she wanted to be in healthcare right out of high school. She became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and has spent most of her career with Centra. A few years ago, she decided to further her education. She graduated with an Associate Degree in Nursing.   

“What I enjoy the most is helping people when they’re at their worst. I’ve worked for Centra a long time. I enjoy Centra because it’s a great healthcare system that really cares about the community. I am so thankful for the scholarship. I’m a single mom raising three children and they have told me that they are so proud of me for going back to school to further my education. I am applying what I learned every day.”
 

Lucas Mann, RN
Psychiatric Inpatient Child & Adolescent Unit 

Lucas comes from a long line of nurses. Growing up in Brookneal and hearing their passion for the profession, he had a feeling that he was also supposed to be in healthcare.

“My mom’s a nurse and so is my grandma. I realized I wanted to be a nurse when I found out that nurses get a lot of one-on-one time with patients. You get to make connections. The best part is that you can help change someone’s outlook. I’m really thankful for the scholarship. Without it, I don’t know if I would be a nurse right now. I hope I can continue to help people out in this way.”   
 

Daisy Levesque, RN

Daisy wishes she could have done more to help two family friends as they passed. That wish ultimately led her to pursue a career in healthcare. 

“Centra College is highly regarded in our community and was the best fit for me and my family. The scholarship helped to relieve some of the financial burden of nursing school. This has allowed me to focus on my studies, which has been invaluable in helping me pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. My focus is on helping people in their time of need.”