Dedicated senior Serena DeAngelis is having a great year pitching for the Lady Slaters softball team and participating in the St. Luke’s Program. She will continue her academics at Wilkes University.

DeAngelis’s strong interest in softball was sparked at a young age when she first played competitive tournament softball.

“When I first started to play, I would play recreational softball. But, at the age of ten, I began to play on tournament teams, loving my first time playing competitively,” DeAngelis said.

Being surrounded by such a positive environment, DeAngelis’s coaches and teammates create a unified team and an abundance of great memories.

“I love the game of softball but the girls and coaches are what make it so enjoyable,” DeAngelis said. “All the little moments we gave together make it memorable, one of my favorites being just dancing and having fun after practice with each other.”

As her final year playing softball comes to a close, DeAngelis is sad as she leaves behind her last year as a Slater, but pleased with the experiences she made on the field.

“Going into my last year is bittersweet. I have been playing for so long that it does not feel like my last year, but I am happy I get to experience it with the teammates I have,” DeAngelis said.

Aside from her love for softball, DeAngelis also has an interest in nursing, which will be her focus at Wilkes University.

“I knew as soon as I visited Wilkes that would be my home for the next four years,” DeAngelis said. “After the four year nursing program, I am planning to gain experience and specialize in a critical care unit area.”

DeAngelis has had a love for helping others and was inspired by her mom’s career in nursing. Her confidence pushed her to pursue a nursing career while being a part of the St. Luke’s shadowing program at Bangor High School.

“I wanted to major in nursing because I have been around it my whole life due to my mom’s working,” DeAngelis said. “This led me to be a part of a career linking academy for St. Luke’s shadowing different careers.”

In order to reach the level she’s at now, DeAngelis had to work extremely hard. Through her high school career she took classes such as anatomy, trigonometry/pre-calculus, college algebra and biology. These courses helped prepare her for a math placement exam.

“These classes helped me because math and science is a very important part of nursing and getting into a nursing program. A math placement exam is required for the program, determining where you are with math skills and what classes you will be put in,” DeAngelis said. “Wilkes University is really looking for you to have advanced math skills.”

Being her biggest influence and supporter, DeAngelis’s mom has made a huge impact on DeAngelis’s future career plan.

“I really look up to my mom because she has all the characteristics to be a great nurse, and she is. She is my biggest supporter through the competitiveness of nursing,” DeAngelis said. “Even if I would have not gotten into the nursing program, she would have helped me find a way to get in.”

As her senior year comes to an end, DeAngelis hopes to be a personal care assistant at St. Luke’s this summer. “Getting experience this summer will help me prepare on how the clinicals in nursing school will be,” DeAngelis said.

With such strong interest and dedication, DeAngelis will be successful wherever her life takes her.