Nurse by trade. Adventurer at heart. Cheryl Daggett is one of a kind.

Cheryl took a “leap” this summer by doing something she says she was always destined to do.

During a trip to Moab, Utah, this summer with her husband of 40 years, she jumped in tandem out of a plane at 14,000 feet over the canyonlands.

“I had a dream years ago that I was flying over the United States. This summer, it was time to manifest the dream,” she said. “The sense of freedom, peacefulness, and gratefulness for all that I saw and experienced was humbling.”

When talking to Cheryl, she makes it seem like jumping out of a plane is no big deal – she wasn’t scared. But, she does express how much it meant for her to make her dream come true.

“There are moments that change your life, and this was one for me,” she said. “In my life, I was not known as a risk taker, so this was mine to inspire me and others by jumping and free falling – flying at 100 miles an hour for about 40 seconds before the parachute opens.”

Cheryl has been a registered nurse for 49 years, a nurse practitioner for 43 years, and the Director of Health Services at Thomas College for ten years.

“I love working at Thomas College where there is a sense of family, community, connectedness, and value,” she said. “It is a place where students come and feel that, too – a place where people go out of their way to help students succeed.”

Cheryl is very happy she chose to do something out of her comfort zone, something for herself and her well-being this summer.

“I have a greater respect for myself and others and all the moments we choose that may not seem like they are outside of our comfort zone, but are. That could simply be letting yourself dance in the rain; standing up in a meeting and saying something; starting to expand your walking into a walk/run; or, calling more and texting less,” she said. “It is for you to know, as you will just ‘do it!’”