IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

Juggling a lot of responsibilities is nothing new to most college students and managing a hefty workload with grace can be tough, but nursing student Kim Poling seems to have it down.

Poling is the Associated Student Government campus affairs representative for Mt. Hood. This entails working with and supporting all of the resources available to students on campus, such as Barney’s Pantry, Veterans Services, Counseling Services, SOAR, and more. She’s new to the position as of October after being informed the position was still open when she expressed interest in wanting to run a food drive for Barney’s Pantry.

In addition, she is also the director of professional development for MHCC’s Student Nurses Association club. Her goal in the position is to help ease the process of thinking about life after nursing school by having representatives from schools with bachelor’s degree programs come in and talk with students, having past graduates of the program return and give advice, and by having hiring companies share insight into what types of jobs are available.

“We’re so focused on nursing school we don’t know what to do after,” said Poling. She hasn’t gotten the chance to focus a ton on these goals so far this year as she has helped fellow students with their shifting roles as things have gotten busy for them.

“I kind of just take the point on everything that SNA is doing. I’m the one constantly emailing people and organizing everything, so I haven’t been able to fully do my thing because I do everything,” she said.

On top of academic responsibilities and involvement, Poling is also a mother, with an 18-year-old and 12-year-old at home. “I’ll be a mom to anybody… I think it’s that role. It’s kind of like a nursing role. You’re just a caregiver,” she said.

Learning to balance all these areas of life doesn’t happen overnight, she said: “I think it just comes with age and maturity. Knowing that it’s important to take time for the things that are important.”

Finding her path

Poling is 37, and has spent the past few years finding herself and exploring her aspirations.

“I got pregnant young. I had my son when I was 18, and then I was a stay-at-home mom and my husband was controlling and he didn’t want me to work, he didn’t want me to go to school, he didn’t want me to better myself,” she said.

She was with her ex-husband from age 16 to 26, and after having her daughter, realized she needed change. After living in Oklahoma where her then-husband worked, the family moved back to the Salem area where she grew up.

There’s nothing holding me back.

“We moved back, and he didn’t get a job, so I didn’t have any choice but to get a job, because we had bills at that point. I started working and realizing I like being independent,” Poling said. “I like taking care of myself and my kids and I can do this. There’s nothing holding me back.”

She held various jobs and began dabbling in school at Chemeketa Community College. Torn between teaching and nursing, Poling started working at a group home for the developmentally disabled and knew nursing was the path she wanted to take.

“I met my (second) husband, who’s amazing and wonderful, and moved up here,” said Poling. Her daughter attends a local middle school, so Poling knew she wanted to go to MHCC and stay in this area.

Her family is supportive of her academic workload and they step up to help her on her busier weeks. She also loves getting to be a role model for her kids as she shows them the importance of making time for the things that matter, such as school.

“I’m just really good at prioritizing. I don’t know if it comes from parenting or education or what it comes from, but it gives me a sense of balance and knowing what’s important,” said Poling.