Sidney

Previous Summer Intern and Part-time Assistant, Sunrise House

Sidney joined L’Arche as a Summer Intern at Sunrise House in 2018. After the summer, Sidney stayed part time at L’Arche while finishing up her BS in Nursing at Saint Louis University. After graduation, she moved to Washington, DC and is now working as a nurse. This is what Sidney had to say about the impact L’Arche has on her nursing career:

"Maya Angelou said, 'People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I think that is one of the most valuable lessons I learned at L’Arche. I learned it is more important to engage in conversation than it is to have dinner ready exactly on time. It is more important to sit and enjoy quality time with other community members than it is to have the morning tasks done in record time. As I begin my career as a nurse, I will carry forward this concept that my presence is just as important as the tasks I complete. Making my patients feel valued and accepted will do as
much for their healing as the medications I give. I am so grateful to L’Arche for teaching me that there is so much more to life than checking things off a to-do list.

L’Arche prepared me for nursing by teaching me the importance of meeting people where they’re at and being willing to learn from them. As healthcare professionals, it is easy to think that we know best and that we should tell people what to do, but through L’Arche I learned the importance of listening to my patients and taking time to learn what is important to them. This skill has made me a better nurse and has helped me grow as a person as well.”