The droning whir of printers. The metallic clack of a mistreated stapler.
The tap, tap,
tapping of fingers on keyboards. I sit in my small cubicle, drowning in the monotony of the office life that swirls around me. But there is an ember within me, fanned by the words of my grandmother. "Find something you love. Make your own hope." Make your own hope. My grandmother said these words to me two weeks before she passed away unepectedly. Four simple words meant to ease and encourage a weary heart. Four words that changed my life forever. It took months to save for tuition, but in the Fall of !"## I registered for my first class at $helton $tate %ommunity %ollege. I could only take one night class a semester because I still needed to work full&time to provide for my family. 'owever, each passing semester took me one step closer to being a (egistered )urse. The road to becoming an () has been full of bumps, dips and the occasional scenic drive. I grew up as the daughter of limestone miner on the outskirts of a college town in *est +irginia. *e went without luuries like a television, home phone, and, on occasion, heat. But what we did have access to a vehicle every other week and a library card. These things helped ignite a lifetime love of reading, science, and medicine. ,s do most progeny of "boondock living", I yearned for escape. ,nd, fueled by my desire for adventure, I started my first semester at the -niversity of ,labama in #../. I was going to be a doctor. I was going to save the world. I was not prepared. My youthful ideations of the world were 0uickly shattered. I had bree1ed through my college prepartory classes in high school. 2e 3ods4 I had not been prepped at all. $o, I did what any practical, poor girl from ,ppalachia would do. I changed my focus to 'ealth %are Management. 5id it invigorate the very core of my being6 5id it spark imagination or foster child&like wonder6 )o. But it was a solid field and I was actually very good at it. 7ighteen years later, my business degree has provided me with a wealth of eperience in various healthcare settings and a certain degree of 8ob security but has left me impassive. Find something you love. I have found so much more than something I love. I have found my passion. 9erhaps most importantly, I have rediscovered a love of my rural roots. *hen I graduate with my ,ssociates 5egree in )ursing I intend to provide nursing services, outreach, and education to rural and low&income populations. I am now in the middle of my second semester of the ,5) program at $helton. *orking full&time and attending school full&time has been a challenge. -nfortunately, my 8ob has not been able to work around my classroom and clinical schedules and my hours have been cut back to one day a week. My husband makes a meager living as a high school science teacher here in Tuscaloosa. I do not 0ualify for federal aid as I already have a degree. ,s the cost of living continues to increase I fear that I may be forced to abandon my education. I found something I love. I found my hope. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship that will help me find a way to make my nursing career a reality. 3ordon and ,nn (osen 7ndowed )ursing $cholarship