After spending much of her life in Paris, Denise Herriges returned to the United States and found herself as a single mom with three young children without a college degree or career with decent wages to raise them. She was determined to return to school with the goal of earning a degree that could support her family.
Herriges was inspired by a hospice nurse who cared for her father. After he passed, she realized nursing was what she was supposed to pursue. She enrolled at Moraine Park and graduated with her associate degree in 2011.
“The Moraine Park instructors and advisers supported my goals at every step, giving me the tools needed to begin a successful career,” Herriges said. “I cherish the memories of the intensity of the nursing program, even though it was a challenging whirlwind. The amount of knowledge, growth and confidence I gained in those short years is incredible, and it is astounding how much I learned from the first clinical rotation to the last.”
Since graduating from MPTC 12 years ago, Herriges has worked at the West Bend hospital MedSurg unit, the Kraemer Cancer Center and is now the charge nurse of the Froedtert West Bend Cancer Center Infusion–the largest of the community cancer centers of the Froedtert Cancer Network.
“So many doors have opened with opportunities I never knew existed,” Herriges said. “I participated in projects that improve the quality and safety for both patients and staff in our department, hospital and network; I have chaired committees; stepped into leadership roles and obtained my master’s degree in nursing, health leadership and administration. If I had to do it all over again, I would absolutely choose MPTC as a steppingstone for an amazing and fulfilling career.”
