Columbus Technical College nursing students 26-year-old Abbey Goldman and 30-year-old Laura Koon of Columbus are the latest winners of the Klayder Memorial Scholarship. Each student will receive $500 to help offset program-related expenses. In order to qualify, the students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, provide letters of recommendation, and submit an essay on the importance of nursing and their future career plans.

In her essay, Abbey Goldman wrote of both the supportive and somber part of nursing. While she always knew she wanted to be a nurse, preferably specializing in labor and delivery, it was a life-changing pregnancy that cemented the decision. Halfway through her pregnancy with her third son, she learned of anomalies in her body that would prevent her from being able to deliver a healthy baby. Goldman and her husband made a heart-wrenching decision and the nurses and midwives were “there every step of the way, keeping watch over her well-being, respecting her choices, and providing physical and emotional comfort.”

“My husband and I decided to carry our baby throughout the rest of his life and be thankful for any time we were given with him,” Goldman wrote. “At 31 weeks gestation, my nurse midwife left her own home and family to meet me at 10:00 at night because ‘I had a feeling,’ and confirmed that my baby had passed away. She comforted me and prayed with me.” Goldman went on to write, “Many people think that the job of a labor and delivery nurse involves being with families on the absolute happiest day of their lives. The reality is that sometimes, they have to be with a family through the most devastating tragedy as well…this is the nurse I am striving to become.”

Laura Koon says her love for nursing is very personal and is “an ambition that originates from heartache and sorrow, yet is driven by love and devotion.” She wrote of her husband finding out he had cancer one week after his 28th birthday. While he fought through chemotherapy, radiation and even experimental treatment, cancer eventually won the war. It was his drive and determination that confirmed her love for nursing as a career; she hopes to eventually specialize in the field of oncology.

“My educational endeavors will not end with a piece of paper or a license,” Koon wrote. “It will continue to be a lifelong commitment. I aspire to achieve a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I believe that with continued clinical research, we can find better treatment options for those that are terminally ill; thus, improving the quality of life in those that suffer.”