(CEDAR HILL, TX) Cedar Hill Class of 2006 Graduate Meg (Woodward) Herd chose the nursing profession because she wanted to help people on a daily basis.
Woodward became a Registered Nurse after graduating from Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing in Dallas.
She now works as a surgical nurse at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth. She started in the Nurse Residency Program there in 2015, and then was hired permanently the following year.
“I love working in pediatrics,” Herd said. “Working with the patients and the entire families is great. I work the evening shift, so every night is different.”
Herd said the COVID-19 Pandemic has required an already safety-oriented profession to take additional precautions.
“The priorities are the same as far as caring for the patients,” Herd said. “If we get a patient overnight that requires surgery, we’re doing that surgery no matter what.”
Roots In Cedar Hill
Herd’s family has been in Cedar Hill since 1997. Her parents, Dick and Teril Woodward, own Dick’s Uptown Café in Cedar Hill. Herd grew up working at the restaurant and still helps out there occasionally.
“My family has been here a long time, and they are passionate about the city and the community,” Herd said.
Herd began her academic career at Cedar Hill ISD as a third grader at Bray Elementary. She attended West Intermediate and Permenter Middle School before enrolling at CHHS, where she was class vice president as a senior.
Herd was a member of the Cedar Hill Highsteppers Dance Team and the choir as well.
She earned enough college credits during high school to enter Oklahoma State University as a sophomore.
“The dual credit thing was great,” Herd said. “Everything was challenging, and the teachers were supportive.”
At OSU, Herd earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Public Relations in 2010. She worked for the campus newspaper as a copy editor and also gained experience in marketing and broadcasting.
Upon graduation from college, she returned to Cedar Hill and worked in marketing for both the City of Cedar Hill and the Chamber of Commerce.
In 2010, she worked as a liaison for Cedar Hill Collegiate High School, which had opened just two years earlier.
“I would help the administrators with meetings and speak to groups to promote the campus,” Herd said. “A lot of people knew about Collegiate, but they didn’t realize you could go if you didn’t live in Cedar Hill.”
