Special Surprise for WKCTC Nursing Graduate

Paducah, KY (05/09/2020) — This year Mother's Day is an especially big day for one of the Spring 2020 West Kentucky Community and Technical College graduates.

Shana Page earned her Associate in Applied Science degree in nursing this month from WKCTC. A Paducah resident, Page is also the mother of eight children - ranging in age from four years old to seventeen.

On Saturday, May 9 -- which would have been the original date of WKCTC's 2020 Spring Commencement that was postponed due to COVID-19 -- her friends and family threw a surprise "commencement parade" in front of her house. Cars and vans decked out in balloons, posters, streamers, with honking horns and calls of "congratulations" all slowly drove by her home, as her family watched and cheered along. Friends had left dozens of pink flamingos in her front yard, and chalk art on the street and sidewalk celebrated her achievement.

Page said that her kids and her husband all helped her reach her goal. "When you go from being a stay-at-home mom to being a full-time student, you're still home, but a lot of your time there has to be designated for school," she said. "And that's something everybody has to be on board with. Sometimes they understand, and sometimes they don't, but they've been really good to help me through."

Her husband, Steve, who is the band and choir teacher at Heath Middle School, said at first he had doubts about her returning to school. "When she first told me, I thought she'd make a great nurse. But I didn't really see how full-time school was going to work," he said.

The road to nursing took several turns. Page, a graduate of Paducah Tilghman High School, went to Transylvania University after high school, and majored in music, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree. "I loved it," she said. "I had a great time, and I learned a ton, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do."

After earning her bachelor's degree, she worked in the admissions office at Transylvania for a couple of years until she and her husband had their first child, Grainger. "Then I stayed home and that was my job for the next 17 years," she said laughing. "And here we are!"

Page said she's had various part-time side jobs. "Definitely my full-time gig was staying home taking care of the kids," she said.

She decided to return to school after her youngest, Sonny, was born. "I thought about it for a long time but the timing was never right, with the kids being small," she said. "We lived in Lexington, then Henderson, and then moved back here in 2010 to be closer to Steve's parents, and because we've always loved Paducah."

When she was a young, Page said she always thought about being in the medical field. "When I went to college the first time I was on the pre-med track and I realized that it was going to be a long process. What I really wanted to do was have a family, and I didn't want to put that off, and didn't want to do that at the same time as medical school, so I decided that wasn't for me," she said.

Page said a career in nursing appealed to her because of her experiences as a mother. "I was always really impressed with the nursing care I got when I had my babies at the hospital. So that's what got me thinking about being a nurse," she said. "I realized that the nurse is the person who is really there with you. The doctor is great, and important, but if you want to be a helper, and a person who is with you in the trenches supporting and encouraging you, the nurse is that person."

Page knew when she started her courses at WKCTC the specific area of nursing that interested her. "When I started in the nursing program. I knew I wanted to be in labor and delivery," she said. "Everything was interesting to me, and I loved working part time while I was in school at Baptist Health on the cardiac floor, but I was fortunate and blessed to get a position at Jackson Purchase in the labor/delivery department."

She starts her nursing career at Jackson Purchase Medical Center later this month. "It's my dream job...I'm so excited," she said.

The Pages are looking forward to one big change her new career will make for their family. "Thinking practically, we haven't had two full-time incomes for seventeen years," said her husband. "Our family's entire financial situation is about to change."

But Steve Page sees even more value in what his wife has accomplished. "Looking at the big picture, though, the best part of this is the message that it's sent to our kids," he said. "They have seen their mom do something really tough. They live with her and they know that it was hard. Instead of just telling her children to be persistent and to take advantage of their gifts, she has shown them what that looks like!"

The Page's son, nine-year-old Wilson, understands what this new direction has meant for his mom. "I think it's really cool that mom got the job that she wanted," he said. "It will be that I don't see her as much, but I think it's really cool. That's a lot for her, and I'm really happy for her."

Page said she looks forward to helping mothers. "I want to help them with labor, I want to help them get comfortable with their newborns, and with breastfeeding, to encourage them and empower them, and let them know that they can do it," she said. "It's a hard job. Education is a huge part of nursing,"

"Steve is very excited for me to be in that environment, and have that opportunity every day. He's been very, very supportive - I mean there's no way I could have done it without his support because he's had to pull extra weight," said Page.

When asked what she would tell other moms who wanted to go back to school, Page said she would tell them to have a good support system if possible. "Don't be afraid to ask for help," she said, "and just believe in yourself."

WKCTC's 2020 Spring and Fall Commencement will be held on Saturday, December 19 at the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center.

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