I see a lot of forums of others doubting themselves or becoming discouraged and It saddens me...... As nursing student that was recently accepted into a nursing program, I know what it's like. My journey through education was a rocky one with no direction, a lot of disappointment, and long nights of sorrow & reflection. But maybe, just maybe my story will help you or anyone you know get up and make their dreams come true.
I'm the oldest of three boys at the ripe age of 24 as of March 18. I was born in the Mississippi delta which is one of the poorest regions in the United States. It was absolutely poverty and where there is poverty there is crime. We struggled to survive and I didn't have the luxuries most children had then. Beggars really can't be choosers. I didn't get my first bed until I was 11! My parents separated and my mother met my stepfather who was in the military. We moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast near Gulfport/Biloxi and we're fortunate to move away from all that when I was 12. I was a pretty gifted student. I went to a great school with great teachers and played a lot of sports. I ended up being the second person in my family to graduate from high school (the first was my mother) and I was the first male in my family to graduate from high school AND I had a 3.67 GPA. BUT I was the first to go to college period. I was fortunate to get a scholarship to the University of Mississippi to play football. Things were great.
I didn't know what I wanted to major in, I just wanted to get out of my parents house and enjoy the freedom. The worse thing about never having anyone in college before you is that you don't know what to expect. No one has experiences to share and no one can tell you what's waiting on the other side. When my parents walked out of my room the last time on move-in day was the worst thing that could have happened. I hung out with friends all afternoon and night after practice. I went out and partied, when I should have studied, on weekends and missed a lot of class. I barely picked up a book. After 4 semesters I only had a GPA of 1.5 and was kicked off of campus, I filed an appeal but didn't win. I was back home at age 20, living with my parents.
I got a job as a valet runner at a casino and worked to pay my bills which only consisted of my car note, insurance and cel phone bill. After work I went home and packed on the pounds playing video games and watching tv. I wasn't motivated, and I didn't know what to do or where to go for help. Depression set in. Working a dead end job will do that to you. I didn't want to be that guy who once had the world on his shoulders and didn't pan out. I needed to at least prove to myself that I could do something, anything. I called my girlfriend of 4 years and cried like a baby. I told her that I felt lost and I didn't know who to turn to. I don't even know why she was with a loser like me.... She was just starting the BSN Satellite at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She asked me to move in with her and she helped me get back on my feet, but getting an education was ultimately up to me.
I joined the Surgical Technology program at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Oxford, Ms. It was a step down than what I was used to... But I needed to start small if I was going to do this. The program was tough. 7-3:30 am Monday -Friday. It was extremely fast paced and I struggled between that and working a full time job. While I was there I met 2 male RNs in the OR. They introduced me to nursing, I fell inlove. It was everything I wanted to do, take care of the sick and elderly. And I never knew it! Not until I began to help them do small tasks. After that I exited the program at the end of the fall semester. My GPA was still very low (1.8) and I knew I didn't have the grades for it. I was so driven that I could NOT let this slip from me. I found my passion and I had to give it my all.
I stayed at the community college and followed the BSN curriculum. With good help from my amazing girlfriend of now 6 years, I have risen. Over a 4 semester span I raised my GPA from a 1.8 to a 3.2. I've excelled at every course I've taken related to nursing"; A&P 1 & 2, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, etc. I missed the deadline to apply to the BSN and the ADN program in my location and was pretty bummed out about that, however I did apply to the University of Memphis School of Nursing and got in! It was then determined that I couldn't go because of the commute and costs but I applied to the LPN program and got in after my first try and after only studying for the Teas for 2 days. I received an overall percentage of 92.3%! I start this fall and couldn't be more welcoming to the challenge.
If I could do it ANYBODY could do it. If you want to be a nurse you'll find a way, whether it's starting as a CNA or whatever. It doesn't matter how you start, it's how you finish. I know it's rather cliche', but look at me. I'm a small town, poverty raised, African American male who probably had all the wrong things working for him. I started this journey with a 1.8 GPA. I haven't graduated yet, but I feel like I've won at least half the battle. NOTHING IS GOING TO HIT HARDER THAN LIFE! Don't let those blows stop you. Keep moving forward. And don't wait around for something to happen, MAKE IT HAPPEN!
