Helen (Hershinow) Ramirez-Odell: caregiver
Helen (Hershinow) Ramirez-Odell earned her BSN in nursing from Loyola in 1964 and is a certified nurse in the Chicago Public Schools, where she keeps Chicago’s children healthy and able to succeed in their educational programs. She represents school nurses in the Chicago Teachers Union and serves as co-chair for the Women’s Health Committee of the National Coalition of Labor Union Women. In addition, she is the co-author of Working Without Uniforms: School Nursing in Chicago 1951-2001, published by the Working Women’s History Project in 2002. In 2003, Helen received the Damen Award for the Niehoff School of Nursing.
What’s the most enduring lesson you learned at Loyola?
I learned the importance of developing the whole person: intellectually, professionally, socially, physically, spiritually, and the importance of both the arts and the sciences in our lives.
What’s your favorite memory of Loyola?
I was working on the student newspaper in 1962 and wanted to cover an event at Lewis Towers but feared I’d be late. Father Bryant [the advisor for the student paper] trusted me enough to offer me his car. I got there on time and was very grateful to be treated as an adult and a good driver.
If you could go back to school, what Loyola course would you take? Why?
I’d take a class in economics. It was not part of the nursing program and living through the financial crisis today, I’d like to know more about money and the way our country handles it.
What’s your favorite place on campus?
The Loyola newspaper office and student union, where hanging out was comfortable and coffee was cheap.
Why did you decide to become a nurse?
Growing up in the 50s, women were expected to go into teaching, secretarial work, or nursing. I thought nursing would be more exciting than the other occupations. I was impressed that Loyola offered a college degree in nursing and public health experience.
What’s the most interesting part of your job?
I work in a high school with more than 2,200 adolescents who present special needs and challenges every day. The ever-changing political scene, budget, and value people place on health and education guarantee the job is never boring.
What’s the greatest piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t wait for things you want to happen. Make them happen.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it to others?
The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler tells the stories of young women who went to homes for unwed mothers, gave up their babies for adoption, and were expected to forget what happened and go on with their lives. It’s a powerful, myth-shattering book.
What (or who) inspires you?
I am constantly inspired by my nurse friends and colleagues who use their knowledge and skills daily to help people, one life at a time, often under very difficult conditions.
If you could travel to any time and place in history, where would you opt to go?
I’d go to Seneca Falls, New York (July 1848) for the first women’s rights convention.
Describe your perfect day.
A perfect summer day would start with tennis in the park, participation in a meeting or event to promote women’s rights, women’s history, health care for all, or some other cause, and dinner and a concert at Ravinia or Grant Park with family and friends.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go, and why?
I’d like to go to Maui, Hawaii to see the sun rise on Haleakala and to Arizona to ride a mule into the Grand Canyon on a cool day.
Who would you want to be for a day?
Hillary Rodham Clinton–she designed a health care plan for all, was a serious candidate for U.S. President, and currently helps us improve relations with other countries as Secretary of State.
Which one best describes you in college: athlete, intellectual, artist, young professional, activist, or social butterfly?
I tried to be an intellectual and an activist. It took a while before I could feel I was a professional.