Stephanie always loved science, but she was drawn into nursing as a teenager when her grandmother suffered a stroke and renal failure. The nurses who cared for her grandmother helped Stephanie understand what was going on.

"They took a scary situation and made it less scary, and they increased my love of science and health care," Stephanie says.

She has been a nurse for almost 20 years. But after spending the last eight years providing critical care in a hospital setting, Stephanie is excited about her move into family medicine and the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with patients. Being able to do so in Washington, the town where she grew up and still lives, is a bonus.

A single mother to a teenage son, Stephanie is involved in Boy Scouts. She enjoys the outdoors, especially kayaking, swimming, boating and fishing – and she started mountain biking last summer.