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Have you ever been faced with a challenge so difficult you didn’t know if you could achieve it? A challenge that might’ve taken years to accomplish but you never stopped pushing because that inner voice of yours kept propelling you forward, knowing that you would make it because you are more than capable of achieving great things?

Sigma member Dionne DeMille knows this all too well. As someone who was born deaf, people told her she could never be a nurse. But she set out to prove them wrong.

After becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) in 2000, Dionne’s journey could’ve ended there. Needing to stop school to support her five children, one of whom became a medically fragile child, Dionne put her nursing dreams on hold. She admired all the nurses who had shown her family unlimited compassion over the years and knew that she wanted to pay it forward one day. 

 
That day came 17 years later when she obtained her Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and then later completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), becoming valedictorian at each graduation. But she knew she wasn’t finished and achieved her Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Education (MSN-Ed), graduating with a 4.0 GPA. After graduation, Dionne accepted an offer to become part of the Nightingale College Faculty Team where she gives others the encouragement that they need to get through their hard days.

When the opportunity came to start a Sigma chapter at Nightingale College, Dionne was thrilled and immediately knew that she wanted to be a part of the team responsible for making it happen. Throughout the process, Dionne says they have gone from individual faculty members to now a cohesive support system. She said, “We have laughed together, struggled together, and figured out a way to bring this amazing organization to Nightingale College."

Dionne enjoys being a positive role model for others and is proud to be able to pay it forward. “From learners who never thought they would even make it to the end of their program, and now look at them!” But her own journey isn’t over yet. Dionne still has more dreams to accomplish.

Dionne DeMille, MSN-Ed, BSN, ASN, LPN, currently works as an instructor of Nursing Education Services at Nightingale College and is also enrolled in a DNP program. Dionne is a founding member of Alpha Beta Xi Chapter, chartered on 11 November 2022, and currently serves as the Treasurer.

Interested in starting a Sigma chapter? Visit https://www.sigmanursing.org/connect-engage/chapters/starting-a-sigma-chapter or email us at developingchapters@sigmanuring.org.