Three Rivers College has selected Dr. Sonya DiCiro to receive its 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award. A public reception in her honor will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. Monday, May 6, with the award presentation beginning at approximately 5 p.m., at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.
“We are honored to have Dr. DiCiro in the Three Rivers family,” Three Rivers President Dr. Wesley Payne said. “After graduating from Three Rivers, Dr. DiCiro earned advanced nursing degrees and has served her community for 41 years. We are proud to present her with the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award.”
Dr. Diciro graduated from Three Rivers in 1983 with an associate degree in nursing. While working as an RN and raising her family, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Southeast Missouri State University on the TRC campus.
“Without the collaborative opportunities Three Rivers offered, advancing my education while working and caring for my family would have been much more difficult,” Dr. DiCiro said.
Dr. DiCiro earned a Master’s in Nursing in 1997 using an innovative remote program offered through the University of Missouri-St. Louis. This degree prepared her for a successful career as a family nurse practitioner in internal medicine, primary care, diabetes care, and women’s health.
Most recently, Dr. DiCiro graduated with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2023 using distance learning from Walden University.
“I have had the advantage of using local and remote education programs throughout my career to achieve my dreams,” Dr. DiCiro said. “It all began at Three Rivers College.”
Dr. DiCiro has spent her career serving patients in various diabetes education programs, hospice care, internal medicine, women’s healthcare, and many other roles. She was honored to receive the 2024 Daisy Award from Walden University as a DNP student.
She currently works as a Regional Clinical Faculty member for Frontier Nursing University and part-time as a Public Health Nurse Practitioner for the Butler County Health Department. Dr. DiCiro volunteers for the local Caring Hands medical clinic to provide quality and dignified healthcare for uninsured patients. She is a member of the board of directors for Recycling Grace, a charitable organization dedicated to helping women break the cycle of addiction.
Dr. DiCiro is a wife, mother of three, and a grandmother of three.
“I come from a long line of nurses, and I believe nursing is a calling,” Dr. DiCiro said. “I am proud to have been a nurse for 41 years.”
To make a reservation for Dr. DiCiro’s public reception, contact Melody Dolle-Ducote at mdolle-ducote@trcc.edu or 573-840-9698.
