LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Beth Roddy was nominated by her principal, Wallace Cobbs.

Ms. Roddy is a true LifeChanger! She works at Welcome Elementary, a high-needs, high-poverty school in Greenville County. For many years, Welcome has had a high turnover of school nurses, who often leave to rejoin the medical field or are promoted to other positions in the district. Welcome started the 2020-2021 school year without a school nurse, which was a concern. Ms. Roddy came in mid-year and has provided much-needed stability to her school. From the moment she arrived, you could tell that Ms. Roddy's calling was to be a school nurse.

Ms. Roddy goes above and beyond each day on the job to meet the needs of her school. She treats all students and staff with kindness each and every day. She sees over 50 students each day in the nurse's office and does so with a smile. Ms. Roddy comforts each student and listens to their needs. Seeing her in action, you would never know she is serving our students in the middle of a global pandemic.

This year, Welcome has a recently diagnosed diabetic student. Ms. Roddy’s care and concern for his health and well-being is amazing. She takes the time to talk with the student and help him understand what is happening instead of just treating him. Her interactions with parents also highlight her concern and care for the community she serves. When students have to be excluded due to COVID-19 symptoms or exposure, parents are often scared or upset, but she always takes time to speak with them and answer all their questions. She always displays the patience and stress tolerance needed to manage any situation.

Ms. Roddy also leads her school’s first responder team. She takes this responsibility very seriously and makes sure the team is prepared to jump into action if there is a medical emergency. Her school's OnTrack team requests vision and hearing screenings to be completed for many struggling students. Ms. Roddy always completes these screenings and the required paperwork in a timely manner. Welcome is so fortunate to have such an amazing and dedicated nurse!