A ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Star Is Working as a Nurse on the Coronavirus Front Lines
You may remember Harper Finkle from Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place, Alex’s (Selena Gomez’s) smart best friend who’d often act as the witch’s conscience. It turns out the actor behind Harper, Jennifer Stone, also has a heart of gold. Stone, who grew up to become a nurse, is now preparing to save lives on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
After appearing on the Wizards of Waverly Place series finale in 2012 and some additional projects, Stone took a break from acting to go to college. Right before this, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. “More than learning the semantics of beta-cells and autoimmune disorders, I wanted to understand my body and the impact of Type 1,” she said in a 2016 interview with Beyond Type 1, a nonprofit organization that provides resources to those living with diabetes. So she switched from her psychology major to nursing.
Last year she shared an Instagram post celebrating receiving her degree. “It’s been a long road of blood (mostly other people’s), sweat, and tears (those were mine), but I can finally call myself a nursing grad,” she wrote.
And now she says she’s “ready to join” those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.
“A very good friend of mine (@maiarawalsh ) pointed out to me that today is #worldhealthday. It is also the day I went from a volunteer, then a student nurse, and now an RN resident,” she wrote in a new post showing off her new resident badge.
She continued, “I just hope to live up to all of the amazing healthcare providers on the front lines now as I get ready to join them. #worldhealthorganization #supportnurses #westayhereforyou❤️pleasestayhomeforus #covid2020.”
After receiving a ton of positive feedback on her post (including some from WOWP fans, of course), Stone shared another image on Wednesday, April 8, encouraging her followers to wear nonsurgical masks like she does when she’s not working. “I’m wearing a mask to flatten the curve,” she wrote in the caption. “You can’t see me smiling out of gratitude for hitting 300,000 followers! Thank you guys for all of your love and support.”
Stay home for Harper!