I should be a statistic
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
My name is Jordan Kester and I should be a statistic; a contributor to
averages, medians, and means. I should be within the neat rows of data and
numbers that produce the teen mother stereotype. I’m not; instead I’m
currently in my senior year of high school while working part-time as a
certified nurse’s aide.
The last two years haven’t been easy; with the birth of my daughter
MaKinzie the words; average, normal, and simple ceased to be a part of my
life. A teenage mother is far from ordinary, and the choices that need to be
made are never simple. I am the product of a single parent home; therefore I
was under no illusion of what the future held. However, the transition from
being a child to having one wasn’t smooth by any means. I ran the gauntlet
of emotions; from embarrassment, fear, and uncertainty, to resolution,
determination, and fulfillment. I had to face my personal apocalypse; my
world had ended, and in its place was one that centered around my daughter.
Club meetings, dances, and sports were replaced by the need for diapers and
formula, and by the worry, fevers and colds bring to a new mother. It was a
constant battle for my mother to provide for me and my brother. I knew my
newborn addition would cause even more financial stress. I never imagined
that I would follow in my mother’s footsteps as a single mother, but now
that I had crossed the threshold to adulthood I had to continue moving
forward.
I’ve always dreamt of becoming a nurse and in 2007 I took the first steps
towards that dream. I obtained my certified nurse’s aide certificate that
summer, and by the following summer I received my certified medication aide
license. With each of these achievements I’ve come closer to making my
dream a reality and securing a financially stable future for myself and my
daughter. Since becoming a CNA I’ve worked in the Long Term Care unit of
Satanta District Hospital as well as continuing my education. I view
graduating from high school and pursuing a degree in nursing as a necessity,
not an option.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “To laugh often and much; to win the
respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the
world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you
have lived. This is to have succeeded.” Every time I look into my
daughter’s smiling eyes, every time a resident thanks me for the care
I’ve provided; I know I’m making a difference in the lives I touch each
day. The ability to give the gifts of compassion and humanity to others is
my success. By continuing my education and becoming a nurse I can continue
to warm the lives of those in need. I’ve already defied the odds; now I
want to change those odds.
posted in: Kansas