Wilder's passions are nursing, theater

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

Everyone has a secret passion, but a lot of people like to keep theirs close to the chest. Not LCC student Stella Wilder; she is willing to tell anyone and everyone about her favorite hobby.

“My love for theater is not a secret,” Wilder said. “I tell everyone, all the time. Especially about the show I am doing now. It’s been five years since I have been a part of a production outside of high school.”

Wilder, 19, is a nursing major who is currently taking four classes. She is a sophomore at LCC but also an avid participant in Howell’s community theater.

The upcoming play she is involved in is titled, “Rock of Ages.” Click here to get tickets and more information.

“I play waitress number one,” Wilder said. “That’s her real name. She is a very complex character, but I also play a stripper and a protester.”

Wilder said she always loved the world of the performing arts, but wasn’t always as dedicated to being a nurse as she is now.

“For a long time, I thought I was going to be a music teacher,” she said.

It wasn’t until she got a little older and understood factors like inflation, that she started looking for other avenues that would still leave her feeling fulfilled somehow.

“Once I started doing clinicals at the Wilson Talent Center in high school,” she said, “connecting with people one-on-one became my favorite thing on the planet.”

She graduated high school and began working part-time as a patient-care technician at Sparrow Hospital in the in-patient rehabilitation wing.

“I just had my one-year anniversary party at Sparrow,” she said. “We deal with stroke patients. We have got a couple of traumatic brain injuries from car accidents or gunshot wounds.

“We have people who struggle with neuropathy but have gotten older. We have a lot of dementia patients and people with Parkinson’s or M.S.”

Her job is taxing, but she still finds a way to shine through the stress and keep her eye on the prize.

A close study-buddy named Rachel Guarnaccia said Wilder stands out for what is in her heart, but also what’s in her head.

“I know Stella from school,” Guarnaccia said. “We were, oh gosh, 16 when we met. She is one of the most compassionate and kind people I have ever met.

“When we are studying, I watch her put in the work, and when we are in class, I see it pay off.”

Wilder talks about her family often; she describes her dad as a hard worker, her mom as always right and her siblings as irreplaceable. She said she is the oldest daughter, but finds herself missing the younger ones more than expected.

She has two dogs, DJ and Sunny, and two cats, Fin and Nugget. Her superpower is not getting bored, ever. And if she had to choose one word to describe herself, it would be “amazing.”

She is a homebody but still curious about what lies beyond the horizon. Fittingly, her favorite show is “Adventure Time,” and she has the tattoo to prove it.

Wilder has a lot in her life and, though it’s what a professional would call “good stress,” she still gets tired sometimes and has to dig deep for motivation to carry on.

“When I get really burned out, I think about my end goal and having a family of my own one day and being able to take care of them,” Wilder said. “I also think about how cool and fun it will be to be a full-time nurse.”