Teri Del Real played three sports at Whiting High School, and remained involved in the game she starred in.
Like many former athletes, she is involved not only as a parent (of Alyssa, 10, Vanessa, 7, and Isabella, 4), but as a coach. She and her high school sweetheart husband of 12 years Sergio, also coach their daughter Alyssa's 10 and under team in Hobart Girls Softball, where the youngster is following in her mother's footsteps as a pitcher.
"As competitive as I am, you have to remember this is instructional," she said. "We are teaching them how to play the game the right way. It is a lot of fun to go out there and teach them."
Del Real was an outstanding athlete as Teri Strabavy at Whiting High School before graduating in 1992. She was the school's and the Indiana Lake Shore Conference's Female Athlete of the Year in 1992. She went on to play basketball and softball at Bethel College before transferring to Indiana University Northwest to earn degrees in health information technology and health administration.
Being from a small school, she said it makes her favor class sports, which did not exist in Indiana until the 1997-98 school year.
"The competition was stiff, but it was good for us playing East Chicago Central and the Hammond schools," Del Real said. "I talk with some of my former teammates and we say if we had class sports back then, (Whiting) would have kicked some butt."
She said growing up in a sports-minded community and a small one was great because everybody knew everybody.
"Sports was my life," Del Real said. "I'd wake up in the morning and go to school and I was just passionate about it."
She is also passionate about her position at St. Mary's Medical Center in Hobart, where Del Real is the quality care program coordinator. It is a fairly new position, but she is involved.
“St. Mary Medical Center has grown rapidly over the past few years and continues to expand," Del Real said. "I was very excited to take on this new position and to be part of the team that brings new programs to life that will benefit the quality of care and outcomes of our patients.”
She has been at St. Mary's for 5 1/2 years, and in the Community Healthcare System for 9 1/2 years. She is involved in various programs, the newest of which patients are tracked from his or her admittance to their going home with follow-ups.
"I am on the back end of this process, but purpose is to have a a case manager, social worker and quality care navigator follow the patient through their hospital stay and most importatnly, after discharge," Del Real said. "We help develop programs with the intent of helping the patient. We will make sure they follow up with their doctor, medications and therapy if it is necessary."
Please Wait…