I am a nurse, by profession. I am also a full time Graduate student, studying College Student Personnel. I recently graduated with a BA English with a Minor in Rhetoric/Writing, in August 2010. These degrees have nothing to do with nursing. They are my ticket out of the nursing profession. At age 38, I discovered that after 11 years of nursing, I wanted to follow my true passion. I have always loved literature and writing, but never considered pursuing English as a profession. It never occurred to me that I could do more than enjoy reading and discussing literature with like-minded friends… I could become an English professor and write scholarly articles about literary topics that I love. What an epiphany!
I feel like I got a late start, but this does not discourage me. Although I no longer want to be a nurse, the past 16 years have been a valuable experience. I have met patients who are fascinating and have written about a few of them. I even presented at a conference, reading a paper I wrote about a patient of mine who worked on the Manhattan Project.
I am married to a man that I have known for my entire life and am a mother of twin boys (who are 17). We have Siamese cats who bring me immense pleasure.
