Chrisma can hardly talk for five minutes without chuckling. She was a bit of a class clown during her years at the School of Nursing. “We laughed a lot there,” she explains, “I enjoyed living with the other girls. We all missed home from time to time but living in the dorm was great as we had each other.”
Chrisma most enjoyed spending time with the mothers and babies in the maternity ward during her schooling. As a prerequisite to working in the field, each nurse has to assist in the delivery of 25 babies. Many of these deliveries took place at local government hospitals where the nursing students volunteered their time. “Those experiences cannot be learned in a textbook,” Chrisma asserted. “Most of the mothers we helped while volunteering at government hospitals were only 14 or 15 years old—not much younger than I was at the time. They were not mentally prepared or physically mature enough for motherhood.” Chrisma’s eyes drop to the floor as difficult memories fleet through her mind. “Some of those young mothers just want someone listen to them.”
Chrisma’s nursing career allows her to tend to vulnerable patients and lighten their spirits. “Where do you see yourself in the future?” we ask her. She replies, “Here. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”