Faces of Opportunity – Karnyta White

There’s no doubt some of life’s most challenging experiences shape our destiny.

For UNMC College of Nursing student Karynta White, it was her grandfather’s prostate cancer diagnosis.

Doctors couldn’t do much to treat the cancer so her grandfather went to a local hospice.

Karnyta White

“The hospice nurses were excellent,” White said. “One nurse just sat with my grandmother and let her cry. It was amazing to watch how they cared for our family, improved my grandfather’s quality of life and made our transition easier.

“Even though it was a difficult experience, the care the nurses provided made me think about becoming a nurse and working in a hospice.”

Before her grandfather’s diagnosis, White, who grew up in Omaha, said her family didn’t have a lot of experiences with health care providers outside of annual examinations. White said the hospice exposed her to a variety of opportunities in the health care industry.

After graduating from Mercy High School, White enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha before transferring to UNMC’s College of Nursing. As a recipient of the Goodrich and Davis Scholarships, she is able to afford her UNMC education.

“Sports, music and the arts just weren’t my thing,” White said. “Academics have always been where I excelled. I work hard to maintain my high G.P.A., while volunteering in my community.

Ballot initiative forum The Goodrich and Davis Scholarships are awarded to minority students. These valuable and necessary awards could be negatively impacted with the passage of an affirmative action ban prohibiting consideration of gender, race, ethnicity and national origin in public education, public employment and public contracting. UNMC’s Faculty Senate will sponsor a forum on the ballot initiative that will include representatives from both sides of this issue. Join the discussion on Wednesday in the Wittson Hall Amphitheater room 3034 from noon to 1 p.m.

“These scholarships allow me to thrive. My family can’t afford to pay for my college education, so the Goodrich and Davis Scholarships are very important to me.”

White is the first person in her family to pursue a career in the health care industry. She enjoys her educational experience at UNMC, especially the small class sizes, patient simulation opportunities and the emphasis that is placed on evidence-based practices for patient care.

“My education at UNMC has been outstanding. I’m a hands-on learner, so the simulation exercises are invaluable,” she said. “In addition, the faculty members are exceptional. You can tell nursing is their passion, so it’s more exciting for us, as students, to learn from them.”

Only in her second semester of the B.S.N. program, White has much of her nursing journey ahead of her. But she is grateful for the opportunity the scholarships provide for her to realize her dream and give back to her Omaha community.