The pioneer spirit of succeeding in the face of adversity is alive in
Katherin (Kay) Benton of Alma. Benton will graduate with a bachelors degree
in nursing May 3 from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College
of Nursing Kearney Division.
She is an inspiration for those who dont think they can achieve their
goals.
Benton wasnt a traditional student when she started nursing school
the day before her 40th birthday. She was a divorced mother of six children,
ranging from age four to 17: Brad, Christopher, Leslie, David, Wesley and
Sarah. She home schools two of her children.
There were those who doubted she could do it all.
I heard that from some people but the talk changed the farther I got,
Benton said. Then it was, wow.
Benton, who grew up in Alma, was married for 16 years. During that time,
the family lived in Kansas, then returned to Alma in the summer of 1992.
After her divorce, she took a job as a nurses aide in 1994 in a nursing
home.
It was an experience there that sealed her fate.
A nurse there wrote in an evaluation that I would make an excellent
nurse. That was kind of the bug in the ear, Benton said. Over the years,
those words stuck in my mind.
Benton took a year off from healthcare and worked at a bakery before
she began her first year at the University of Nebraska at Kearney to working
towards a nursing degree. Benton said she never could have gone to nursing
school without the support of her family and friends.
She also met a man she developed a relationship with who, she said,
was wonderful with her children. Tim Asay became part of the family. I
got through school with a good support system and a very strong faith.
Income from work, financial aid and child support supported her family
and school. We were skimping by. We have a garden, Tim hunts and fishes
and the kids work, contributing to whatever we needed. We all pitched in,
Benton said.
There were times when she wondered where the next meal would come.
Her hectic schedule didnt allow time for much other than school, family
and parttime work at home.
I didnt shop much. I didnt have much a social life beyond family.
I took advantage of spring breaks and holiday vacations to recoup for the
next semester. The faculty at Kearney is great at encouraging students.
The sacrifices of her and her family will be realized on graduation
day. Benton hopes to find a nursing position in home health.
Benton realized she wanted what area of nursing she wanted to
work in during one of her nursing rotations in home health.
I would come home at night and think, I shouldnt be having this much
fun. I have the opportunity to go into peoples homes, see their needs,
see what they want and help people find their own wayto be able to help
people obtain optimal wellness regardless of what their health is.
Sometimes, people tell Benton they could never have done what she did.
I just look at them and say, yes, you can. Its how bad you want
it and how bad the Lord wants you in it.