On warm fall mornings in grade school, my sister, Olivia, and I would wake up early, place our hair in braids and walk to St. Robert Bellarmine School. A church where my parents exchanged wedding vows and all of my siblings (Tom, Natalie, Bill, Olivia and I) were baptized and made our First Holy Communion. A school where my Catholic education began. The day St. Robert Bellarmine School & Catholic Church were torn down was the day that I realized communities form sacred places, not the brick walls nor the stained glass windows. My educational journey continued as I started junior high at St. William Catholic School, where I went on to graduate as part of the first class of Ss. Robert and William Catholic School, the merger of two Euclid communities.
Following my four older siblings once more, I then went on to attend Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School. VASJ is located in what I believe to be a beautiful place, with the waves of Lake Erie crashing along the rocks behind the school. I loved when teachers allowed us to venture outside on breaks to calm our hearts and minds by the lake — a practice that I still find so very comforting today.
Not only was Lake Erie a perk of attending VASJ, but so were the nearby healthcare facilities. As a Viking, I learned to live by both the Marianist and Ursuline Core Values of community, faith, service and social consciousness, along with embrace and adapt to change. During my time at VASJ, I was actively involved in Peer Ministry, Catholic Schools for Peace & Justice, National Honor Society, Teen Leadership Corps and the very first VASJ Kairos Retreat. My classmates and I would cook meals for the families and patients at Hospice of the Western Reserve, located just behind VASJ. During the summer, I would volunteer right next door at Cleveland Clinic - Euclid Hospital. As a teenager, I remember comforting patients and pointing out the hospital window toward VASJ and saying, “I attend high school right there, and one day I am going to be a nurse.” That was a promise I intended to keep.
In 2019, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing with honors from the Breen School of Nursing at Ursuline College. Ursuline College became the fourth school that I attended that was rooted in the Ursuline Charisms. My nursing professors would warn us not to get too comfortable with hospital policies since they so often change. Change was a common theme for me since grade school and a core value engraved in my mind during my time at VASJ.
As I walked across the stage at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland to receive my BSN from Ursuline College, I would never have imagined that my first year as a nurse would include working during a global pandemic. Yet I can say that the values I have learned throughout my Catholic education have had a lasting effect and truly helped shape me into the resilient, compassionate and faith-filled nurse I am today.
Since March 2020, I have been challenged in more ways than one as a registered nurse at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. As stores, restaurants and companies began closing their doors, the hospital lights stayed on. With fear of the unknown, I woke up, put on my scrubs and walked through the hospital doors, never really knowing what the day would bring. No matter the circumstances, as a nurse, we have the obligation to continue to show up and care for our patients and community.
Now, in December 2020, I wish I could say that the worse is behind us and that the pandemic is over, but unfortunately, this is not the case. Instead, I am reminded of a quote by St. Angela Merici, the foundress of the Ursuline Sisters: “Have faith and keep up your courage.” In all that 2020 has brought us, I cherish the moments of pause and reflection. I would not be where I am today without the service, sacrifice and support of others. Thank you to the long list of educators and faculty members who have built the Viking Village, a community that ventures out beyond the red and blue painted walls.
Valerie Koch, BSN, RN ’15 works as a clinical nurse in the field of malignant hematology and bone marrow transplant at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. In 2019, Ursuline College awarded Valerie the Gonzaga Medal, an award given to a graduating senior considered to best exemplify the personal qualities of refinement, dignity, integrity and sincere concern for others, named in honor of Sister M. Gonzaga Haessly, OSU. Valerie is a member of the Ursuline College Wall of Fame for her continued commitment to leadership and service. Currently, Valerie serves on the leadership board for Iota Psi, Ursuline College’s chapter of Sigma, The International Honor Society of Nursing.