Star of the Month
Emily Lee
School of Nursing
Congratulations to our Star of the Month for June 2025, Emily Lee from the School of Nursing!
Emily has been actively serving our community volunteering with our incredible partners at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church supporting their Food Ministry which provides meals, fresh produce, among other vital supplies, for our East Baltimore community. Read our interview with Emily below to learn more about her experience!
Tell us about yourself! What brought you to the School of Nursing, and what made you want to get involved with the organizations you work with?
My name is Emily Lee, and I am a Taiwanese American from a small town in West Texas, currently in my third semester of the MSN Entry into Nursing program. After college, I considered working for a nonprofit such as UNICEF, but I realized I did not want to remain behind a desk or feel removed from the people I hoped to serve. I wanted a skill set that would allow me to be physically present with others during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Nursing felt like the most direct way to do that, with a foundation of trust, presence, and hands-on care.
When I first came to Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, I was struck by the openness of the community. The church welcomes everyone - people experiencing homelessness, addiction, disability, or anyone in search of support and belonging. Their commitment to meeting people where they are aligned with my own values. It felt like a place where care was not theoretical, but lived out in practice.
Can you share a little bit about the service work you are doing?
Since my first semester, I have been involved with several areas of the Food Ministry at Amazing Grace. I began by volunteering at the weekly pantry, helping with both setup and distribution. The pantry provides not only shelf-stable items but also fresh produce, menstrual products, and diapers. I also design and distribute simple, healthy recipes based on pantry staples and seasonal produce, to support meal planning and nutrition.
Last semester, I joined the Tuesday community lunches, assisting with meal service, compost education, and cleanup. These lunches offer more than a meal. They create space for conversation, routine, and connection. This semester, I am expanding my involvement to include the Amazing Seniors group and kids summer camp, helping lead health-focused activities that are interactive, accessible, and fun.
"Learning how to explain health information in ways that resonate with people from a variety of backgrounds is not easy. It has pushed me to consider health literacy, social determinants of health, and structural barriers in concrete terms, rather than abstract ones. This work reminds me that nursing extends far beyond hospital walls."
How does your community service work complement what you’re learning in the classroom at the School of Nursing?
Community service has helped me see how the content we study in class applies to real-life settings. After taking Promoting Health in Older Adults, my supervisor and I developed a workshop for our seniors focused on improving sleep and preventing falls. I also create health flyers with clear, visual messaging about topics such as hypertension, diabetes, and lifestyle modifications.
Equally important, service has helped me develop communication skills. Learning how to explain health information in ways that resonate with people from a variety of backgrounds is not easy. It has pushed me to consider health literacy, social determinants of health, and structural barriers in concrete terms, rather than abstract ones. This work reminds me that nursing extends far beyond hospital walls.
What is the most important experience you’ve had or most critical thing you’ve learned so far through working with our community?
One of the most important lessons I have learned is to suspend judgment. It is easy to enter a space and make assumptions based on appearance or circumstance. But authentic care begins with listening. Sometimes, a simple chat can go a long way in making someone feel seen. I have learned that people who come to the pantry might also be caregivers, recent surgical patients, or just looking for community.
Everyone has a story, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. When we approach others as individuals rather than as problems to solve, the work becomes less about giving and more about connecting. That mindset has shaped how I hope to practice nursing, to be someone willing to walk alongside others in a shared journey toward health.