There are more than 5,500 staff members working at 36 Ryman Healthcare retirement villages across two countries.
So, you can imagine Angelica Ona’s surprise when she was told she was one of three finalists for Young Achiever of the Year at the company’s annual awards.
The registered nurse at Weary Dunlop was “speechless”.
While Angelica’s name wasn’t in the envelope when it was opened at the glitzy awards ceremony in Auckland (Alice Twigley, a nurse at Kiri Te Kanawa retirement village, was the winner), she was thrilled to make the shortlist.
“Just being nominated is an honour. It’s a big achievement when you see how many facilities we have in New Zealand, and I was one of the top three so it’s really an achievement.”
Angelica has been at Weary Dunlop since it opened five years ago, after immigrating from the Philippines to study nursing.
She worked part-time as a personal care assistant at the village while gaining her qualification and took up a full-time role as an enrolled nurse when her studies were completed.
Angelica is now Weary Dunlop’s wound-care champion, a key role where she has demonstrated excellent leadership.
She says she’s thankful for the opportunities Ryman Healthcare has given her and sees a bright future for her in her adopted country.
“Not everyone is given an opportunity to come here to Australia to study so I’m so lucky that I had the chance to come here, study and build my nursing career.”
