“I truly appreciate being thought of for this award and am very proud to be a graduate of this incredible school,” Reilly said. “My nursing experiences are a direct result of the excellent foundation I received at IU East. “

Reilly re-entered the Army as an officer three years ago. She is currently an active duty Army nurse. Last year, Reilly was deployed to Afghanistan where she provided emergency/urgent care to soldiers and local citizens. While overseas, she was awarded the Bronze Star by the military for her work with U.S. soldiers, Afghan soldiers and local citizens. She received the Meritorious Service Medal when she returned to the U.S. in June. Reilly also served as an instructor for the Army’s licensed practical nurses course at Walter Reed Medical Center.

“She has done some pretty amazing things in both her civilian and military careers. Her accomplishments reflect well on the training she received at IU,” said Donna Glenn, Reilly’s mother-in-law.

Reilly also has held other nursing positions such as transplant staff nurse at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and kidney-pancreas transplant coordinator at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Reilly and her family live in Madison, Wis., where she is assigned as a health-care recruiter. Along with her husband, Richard, and daughter, Amanda, Reilly looks forward to staying in Madison after her Army commitment is fulfilled this summer. She plans to return to coordinating heart/lung transplants in Madison and eventually serving as an instructor in a nursing program.