Young Alumna of the Year Award
Kelsey E. Schmitt, Nurs ’05, Grad ’23
Vernon Hills, Ill.
Kelsey Schmitt wanted a career in health care from the time she was eight, inspired by the medical team that cared for her when she underwent a surgery that year. Marquette has been central in making that dream a reality and in helping Kelsey excel as a nurse leader.
After graduating from the School of Nursing with her bachelor’s degree in 2005, she joined the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and then the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and she held leadership positions in both places. “My goal, when I first started my nursing career, was to make a difference every day,” she says, and the Marquette values of excellence, faith, leadership and service are “ingrained in what I do.”
For example, Kelsey has served since 2020 on the board of directors for the Riverside Foundation, a nonprofit, community-based organization that serves adults with moderate to severe developmental and intellectual disabilities.
She credits Dr. Shelly Malin, nurse and former director of Marquette’s Health Systems Leadership Graduate Program, for motivating her to return to school to earn her Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree, which meshes perfectly with her leadership goals. Kelsey is on track to complete the program this spring. “My long-term professional plan,” she says, “is to continue with the leadership path and become a chief nursing officer one day.”
Being named Young Alumna of the Year “means the world to me,” she says. “Marquette has made and continues to make a big impact in my life.”
Fun Facts:
Name someone (past or present) with whom you'd like to have dinner.
“My grandmother. I would love to catch up and let her know who I am today. Service was one of her core values, and she instilled that in me.”
What is one of your favorite Marquette memories?
“Running down Wisconsin Avenue in 2003 when the basketball team made the Final Four. It’s something I will never forget.”
Leave a congratulatory message for Kelsey!