{"id":47410,"date":"2001-04-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2001-04-23T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2001\/04\/23\/unmc-graduating-nursing-student-alma-resident-epitomizespioneer-spirit\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T10:52:34","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T15:52:34","slug":"unmc-graduating-nursing-student-alma-resident-epitomizespioneer-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2001\/04\/23\/unmc-graduating-nursing-student-alma-resident-epitomizespioneer-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"UNMC graduating nursing student, Alma resident epitomizes\n\npioneer spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pioneer spirit of succeeding in the face of adversity is alive in<\/p>\n

Katherin (Kay) Benton of Alma. Benton will graduate with a bachelors degree<\/p>\n

in nursing May 3 from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College<\/p>\n

of Nursing Kearney Division.<\/p>\n

She is an inspiration for those who dont think they can achieve their<\/p>\n

goals.<\/p>\n

Benton wasnt a traditional student when she started nursing school<\/p>\n

the day before her 40th birthday. She was a divorced mother of six children,<\/p>\n

ranging from age four to 17: Brad, Christopher, Leslie, David, Wesley and<\/p>\n

Sarah. She home schools two of her children.<\/p>\n

There were those who doubted she could do it all.<\/p>\n

I heard that from some people but the talk changed the farther I got,<\/p>\n

Benton said. Then it was, wow.<\/p>\n

Benton, who grew up in Alma, was married for 16 years. During that time,<\/p>\n

the family lived in Kansas, then returned to Alma in the summer of 1992.<\/p>\n

After her divorce, she took a job as a nurses aide in 1994 in a nursing<\/p>\n

home.<\/p>\n

It was an experience there that sealed her fate.<\/p>\n

A nurse there wrote in an evaluation that I would make an excellent<\/p>\n

nurse. That was kind of the bug in the ear, Benton said. Over the years,<\/p>\n

those words stuck in my mind.<\/p>\n

Benton took a year off from healthcare and worked at a bakery before<\/p>\n

she began her first year at the University of Nebraska at Kearney to working<\/p>\n

towards a nursing degree. Benton said she never could have gone to nursing<\/p>\n

school without the support of her family and friends.<\/p>\n

She also met a man she developed a relationship with who, she said,<\/p>\n

was wonderful with her children. Tim Asay became part of the family. I<\/p>\n

got through school with a good support system and a very strong faith.<\/p>\n

Income from work, financial aid and child support supported her family<\/p>\n

and school. We were skimping by. We have a garden, Tim hunts and fishes<\/p>\n

and the kids work, contributing to whatever we needed. We all pitched in,<\/p>\n

Benton said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There were times when she wondered where the next meal would come.<\/p>\n

Her hectic schedule didnt allow time for much other than school, family<\/p>\n

and parttime work at home.<\/p>\n

I didnt shop much. I didnt have much a social life beyond family.<\/p>\n

I took advantage of spring breaks and holiday vacations to recoup for the<\/p>\n

next semester. The faculty at Kearney is great at encouraging students.<\/p>\n

The sacrifices of her and her family will be realized on graduation<\/p>\n

day. Benton hopes to find a nursing position in home health.<\/p>\n

 Benton realized she wanted what area of nursing she wanted to<\/p>\n

work in during one of her nursing rotations in home health.<\/p>\n

I would come home at night and think, I shouldnt be having this much<\/p>\n

fun. I have the opportunity to go into peoples homes, see their needs,<\/p>\n

see what they want and help people find their own wayto be able to help<\/p>\n

people obtain optimal wellness regardless of what their health is.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, people tell Benton they could never have done what she did.<\/p>\n

I just look at them and say, yes, you can. Its how bad you want<\/p>\n

it and how bad the Lord wants you in it.<\/p>\n

H mAy yK ID aF j hgbAsxWV<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\nUNMC graduating nursing student, Alma resident epitomizes pioneer spirit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The pioneer spirit of succeeding in the face of adversity is alive in Katherin (Kay) Benton of Alma. 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