“I feel honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this community, and it is my mission to provide quality patient-family centered care.”

Jessica Filak is earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice in acute care pediatrics. She has continued her education through significant challenges with determination to be a model of perseverance to her three children, Maximus, Olivia, and Gabriella. In the past year, two of Jessica’s immediate family members have had critical illnesses and hospitalizations, dramatically reshaping her responsibilities. Despite this, Jessica has maintained an almost flawless GPA and has never fallen behind in her DNP program.

Jessica is also motivated by her long-standing passion to care for sick children as an acute care pediatric nurse practitioner (ACPNP). As an ACPNP, Jessica aims to positively impact patients and their families during some of the most sensitive times in their lives. She reflects, “I feel honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this community, and it is my mission to provide quality patient-family centered care.” Pediatrics is an underserved area, and Jessica hopes to make a difference by encouraging new and experienced nurses to embrace pediatrics and providing excellent education and supportive experiences through preceptorships. Jessica’s professors remark that she “demonstrates a degree of compassion, maturity, and interpersonal skills that make her stand out among her peers,” and they predict that she will be an “exceptional nurse practitioner who will provide care to countless sick and injured children during her career.”

Jessica is already making an impact as the pediatric emergency care coordinator at the Henry Ford Jackson Emergency Department, where she has been working to build a more pediatric-friendly environment. In addition to her future work as an ACPNP, she hopes to become an advocate for juvenile diabetes awareness and fundraising.

CEW+ applauds Jessica’s determination in pursuit of her education and her commitment to making a difference in the lives of children and families and names her the Sarah Winans Newman Scholar.