Jenna Frasier, sophomore nursing major, spoke with the Hilltop Monitor in the Pryor Learning Commons (PLC), a place, she assures you, she can almost always be found.
When asked about an influential person in her life, Frasier spoke without hesitation.
“My mom. Absolutely. She is my feminist icon. She struggled with her childhood, but went to college. She was a first generation-college student. She got her degree and then got married, but then it didn’t turn out the way she thought it would. She wanted to set a good example for me, so she left with me and got a one-bedroom apartment. She was only making $800 above the poverty line, but she still made sure to get the apartment. She took me and we had nothing but like cans of soup and this broken down couch. It was just the fact that she did it on her own. She still made it happen and even when we didn’t have anything, I still felt like we had everything. She is my absolute everything and she emphasized that college wasn’t an option. So even when she didn’t have money, she would still pour about $25 of every single paycheck into a college fund for me so that I would be able to go. She always told me that I have to get my degree because no matter what no one can take a degree away from you. That’s the one thing they can’t take. She said they can take your house. You could get a divorce and they could take your money, but they can’t take a degree away. She always wanted me to have something for me I guess.”
Frasier attests that she has been greatly impacted by her mother. Both women feel fulfilled only when the people around them are happy.
“When I’m alone I don’t necessarily feel fulfilled. I feel like I’m fulfilled when I’m around people, and I like being around them when they’re laughing. When something bad is happening then I want to be able to make them laugh. I guess I’d say I feel most accomplished whenever their smile lights up their eyes. That’s the smile you need to go for. I think that’s probably from my mom because I see her happy when we’re happy.”
For Frasier, the ambiguity of the future can be challenging.
“So much of my future seems open-ended, and you’d be surprised to see how quickly everything that you think you have planned changes. Because for the past two-and-a-half months every single week of mine has drastically changed from the week prior. Not necessarily in a bad way. I’d never know what to expect and I’m pleasantly surprised every single week. I guess sorting out my thoughts on how it’s all changing is kind of difficult because I like feeling in control of what’s going on. And I’m not and it’s kind of freeing, but also kind of scary.”
Traveling is Frasier’s favorite hobby, and she hopes to utilize the Journey Grant for the purpose.
“I want to [use the journal the Journey Grant] because it’s a fantastic opportunity to see the school help you facilitate what you want to do. I heard that in the nursing program, a lot of the Journey Grants are used to help you learn about the healthcare system in other countries. So maybe somewhere in Europe. I would really love to go to Scotland, though, and see if I could do some sort of job shadowing. Maybe see if I could work one-on-one with people in a shelter.”
If you want to get to know more about Frasier, she reassures you that you can most likely find her “in the PLC, in a red chair, looking like I’m about to cry because I’m doing homework.”
