Wrap-up

::deep breath::

I did it! I finished my first semester of nursing school! Granted there were a few bumps in the road, namely not passing dosages; but I consider the past ten weeks a grand success.
Why, you ask? Well, I've done a lot of thinking over the past week and I might just be ready to answer that.

The first and foremost reason that I feel it was a success is because of the changes in who I am. I learned to have compassion for strangers; something I was afraid I would never find. This isn't to say I was never concerned about people I wasn't close to, but it's just different now. I am no longer just curious, or wanting to help for my own benefit; I think I learned to care. I think I can be that good nurse who cleans the dentures when they need it and know what to do when a person can't breath due to COPD.

This change was brought about by my professor Mrs. Berry. With her devotionals before class, her glowing spirit, and her encouragement, she influenced me in a way that no one else ever has. She pushed us, challenged us, cared for us, and shared her stories with us. I still think it's more than that though. I think that just by being who she was, she changed me. That's closer to the truth.

This semester feels like such an accomplishment because I finally did what I set out to do three years ago. It took me so long to get here and the simple act of walking into that nursing building at orientation changed me. I proved to myself that I really can do anything I put my mind to. It gave me the courage to pursue every other dream that I have.

And last but not least, the academic change. I didn't miss a single class (which some of you will know is a flat-out miracle) and I studied every. single. day. Sometimes I just glanced at one thing I had a question about or flipped through my Taber's for things I heard in class earlier; other days I spent hours upon hours writing note cards, reading chapters, and answering questions. All of those years of school finally paid off because when it came down to it, I KNEW how to study, when so many others did not. That I actually DID study is the change.

Success feels good.