Fall — 2008

Tina Kalaydjian

Nursing

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m just wasting my time with all my studying. But then I think of the payoff at the end of it, and I know it’ll all be worthwhile.”

“Let me see if I can explain this in a nutshell,” says Tina Kalaydjian in describing her approach to learning and life. “I feel that, without an education, we really don’t have much at all. There are some people who are successful without an education, and I applaud them. But for others like me, who want a career in nursing—or in any other professional field—the knowledge is essential. You cannot grow into what you hope to become without finding the structure and discipline of learning.”

Tina has been at SMC “for ages!” but has now dedicated herself to full-time study and success. Life threw her a few curves along the way, but now she feels empowered and once again directed toward making a life she’s always wanted. “Nursing is simply my calling. It always has been, even when I was a little girl,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to care for others, and it makes me feel fulfilled when I’ve made someone else feel better,” she says. And Tina herself has benefited greatly from the kindness of an SMC Nursing instructor, especially when the stresses of learning caused her to doubt.

“The teacher who has made me, changed me, and given me the most is Professor Lopez, who teaches Nursing. She explains everything brilliantly. But more than that,” Tina continues, “there’ve been times when I’ve felt completely frustrated. And I told her about this. And it’s her words—her mere words—that saved me. She told me, ‘You’re gonna become a nurse. No doubts. When life happens, you cannot stop. You must simply move on!’ And whenever I doubt what I’m doing, or feel overwhelmed, I think of her and what she said to me. She’s a really, really strong woman.” And it’s just very comforting to think that SMC is producing ‘really, really’ strong women (and men!) who, eventually, will take care of us all.

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