« BackMelissa Chapelle '12
Melissa Chapelle was the 2012 Class President, the Senior Chair for the Student Nursing Association, and a sister of Delta Pi Omega. She works as a certified nursing assistant in the intensive care unit at Boston Medical Center.
Chapelle graduated this May with a BS in nursing, but her journey through UMass Dartmouth didn’t start off too smoothly.
“On move-in day, I cried and begged my mother not to leave me,” she recalls. “I laugh now because I could not imagine myself anywhere else. These last four years have been the best yet and I have met people that have changed my life for the better.”
As a recent graduate of UMass Dartmouth, Melissa receives recognition for her education wherever she goes.
“When telling nurses at work where I completed my degree, they are always impressed. UMD and especially the college of nursing [have] given me the knowledge and skills to success in the nursing field.”
Melissa credits UMass Dartmouth for her boost in confidence and transformation into a well-rounded professional. “I believe that no other university would have helped me develop into the person I am today,” she says. As a result, Melissa chooses to stay connected to the UMD community.
“I tried to be very involved during my four years at UMD, and … I successfully developed a true sense of community,” says Melissa, who was the 2012 student liaison to the UMD Alumni Association. “I plan on attending as many alumni events as possible and … I hope to be a mentor for a senior nursing student in the next couple of years.”
Written by Jenalina Santiago '08, MA '13 (June 2012)