Mennonite College of Nursing alum Teresa Valerio, M.S. ’03, received the 2013 Nurse Practitioner State Award for Excellence from the American Association for Nurse Practitioners.

Only one nurse practitioner is chosen from each of the 50 states, with Valerio representing Illinois. Her dedication and excellence in clinical practice earned her the award.

Now an assistant professor at Mennonite, Valerio researches the relationship among students’ sleep quality and factors such as emotional health, stress, and academic performance. Her work has been published in many scholarly journals. She also serves as a staff nurse practitioner with Illinois State’s Student Health Services.