情人节koro语' '24 is inherently empathetic and selfless. She can remember so distinctly the feeling of helplessness at the age of eight when she was unable to care for her diabetic mother.
"I could be there for her, but I didn't know what care she required as a diabetic," Koros recalled. “没能帮助她，我感到很难过."
It was then that she understood her deep-rooted desire to make sure not only her mother could receive the care she needed, 还有她的galaxy银河娱乐场app. 科罗斯的职业道路很明显——护士. Her journey to get there, however, was not straightforward.
Originally from Kenya, Koros found it difficult to attend nursing school back home. She says a friend living in the United States encouraged her to pursue her passion here instead.
“她说，‘我知道你很想成为一名护士. 在美国有很多护理工作的机会.S.'"
科罗斯于2017年移居美国. She settled in Minnesota and began the LPN program at a community college in 2018. She graduated from that program in 2020 and started working toward becoming a registered nurse.
She was four semesters into the program that would fulfill her lifelong dream. 然后，生活给了她一个新的逆境.
“我怀孕了，”科罗斯说. “我在2021年2月生了孩子. 我退学了，没有完成注册护士的学业."
The demands of life with a child didn't lend itself to traditional learning. 在照顾孩子和工作之间, Koros found it difficult to attend classes and clinicals. But she wasn't ready to give up on her destiny of becoming a registered nurse.
Enter Presentation College's online LPN to BSN program.
"Presentation was my best option at that time," she said of beginning the program in 2022. “因为它是完全在线的, that really worked with my schedule and gave me the opportunity to be with my baby and work."
她的梦想又回到了正轨. The flexibility of learning from home was exactly what Koros needed. Then, in January 2023, Presentation College in Aberdeen, South Dakota, announced it was closing.
"I was thinking this was the end for me," Koros recalled about hearing the 新闻.
但与此同时，另一项声明. St. 达文波特的galaxy银河娱乐场app, 爱荷华州, would be taking over Presenation's LPN to BSN online nursing program. 如果她愿意, Koros could continue her education - uninterrupted - at the 纳诺纳格尔在线护理学院. galaxy银河娱乐场app.
“对我来说，过渡很顺利，”她说. “我得到了所有我能得到的帮助. 他们在那里回答我所有的问题."
She continued to feel that support this past year in the program. Koros says professors were easily accessible and always available to answer student questions or provide any assistance they could.
2023年11月, when Koros faced the heartbreaking loss of her pregnancy at 24 weeks the Nano Nagle Online Nursing faculty provided her with the accommodations she needed to mourn her child.
“教练们一直在我身边，”她说. "They came together and made sure I had time to grieve. 他们让我选择在不同的时间参加考试. 他们确保我不会落后."
Koros has faced a myriad of challenges since she first felt called to the healthcare profession all those years ago. There were many occasions she could have let her dream fall to the wayside. But her passion for helping others and her mental fortitude led her to May 2024 - a Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate.
"I'm a strong, hardworking lady just trying to make ends meet," Koros reflected. "I'm a girl that grew up in a very small town, poor family. I'm here trying to make sure I get my degree and make sure I'm taking care of people."
In addition to supporting her family alongside her husband at home in Minnesota, Koros is also the breadwinner for her family back in Africa. It was important to her to provide this financial assistance so that her father could retire.
“在非洲的时候，我爸爸在军队里工作. When I came to America, I got this opportunity to go to nursing school and I started earning money. I told my dad to retire because it was not safe for him."
"I'm so proud of myself that I'm able to let my dad stay home. 我很自豪我能为他做这些. 这对我来说意义重大."
Koros will continue working in the nursing home facility she has been at while earning her BSN. She recently received a promotion there to assistant director of nursing and is excited for the abundance of opportunities her BSN will allow.
"It does mean a lot to me," she said of completing her BSN. "It gives me an opportunity to do some stuff that I was not able to do as an LPN and make sure I accomplish everything that I'm supposed to do."
“我喜欢照顾别人. 我喜欢让别人感觉好一点. 我喜欢影响别人的生活."
分享这个故事
