“She’s the best,” said Blaine Assistant Principal Nancy Hall. Pena has been a registered nurse for 22 years – including five at Blaine. She has definitely made a positive impact on campus. Said Pena: “I feel absolutely honored.”
“I think students feel very good about going to the health service,” Hall said. “Sometimes maybe too good.”
Bengal bond
Pena has a special bond with Bengal students and faculty, and was nominated for the award by the school health para.
“I’m so flattered,” Pena said. “Kind of speechless and very humbled.”
Passion and compassion are Pena’s hallmarks.
“To me above and beyond means that you are willing to do whatever it takes to take care of students,” Pena said, “and always have their best interest at heart.”
Said Hall: “I’m happy for her and I love her, and I’m so glad that I have been able to work with her.”
COVID challenges
Being a nurse means being adaptable and flexible in any situation, but for Pena the pandemic was a huge challenge. There was no blueprint for COVID.
“Everything that I knew about school nursing kind of got turned on its head and my job, and my job duties completely changed,” Pena said. “How I took care of the Blaine High School community looked very different…The amount of time required to do it increased dramatically without any real extra resources to get that work done.”
Typically above and beyond winners are teachers, but Pena is an exception. Pena was stunned she won and gives lots of credit to her husband John.
“I can bounce anything off of him,” Pena said. “Absolutely. He’s open and ready for all of it. Whether it’s positive or negative or somewhere in the middle, he’s just right there to help support me and make me a better person.”
Pena is a kind, upbeat and grateful individual who lifts up just about everyone. Bengal nation is definitely glad she is on their team.
