2025 Future Alumni Contest Winner: Laura Benson
Laura Benson
Nursing - ADN
2025 Future Alumni Essay Contest Winner
Walking in the Purpose for Which I Was Created
In 2022, I decided this would be my last year in pulpit ministry. For the previous six years, I had served as a United Methodist pastor to three small country churches. I didn’t know where life would take me next, but I felt certain that my season in pulpit ministry was coming to an end. I was separated from my husband and trying to navigate life on my own. It was truly a dark and uncertain time.
One day, I took my two dogs to a fenced-in playground beside a small Methodist church on James Island — my home church growing up. While we were there, a woman named Mary walked by with her little Cavalier. I invited her and her dog to join us, and though she seemed hesitant at first, we soon discovered that our dogs loved playing together. We began meeting a few times a week for dog playdates. For the longest time, I only knew her as “Mary from the neighborhood behind the church.”
One afternoon, as we sat on the playground watching our dogs, I mentioned how many hours I had been working. I was wrapping up my church commitments in a couple of months while also working full-time in a neurology clinic. Mary said, “You work as many hours as I do.” I was surprised — I had assumed she was retired. When I asked what she did for a living, I was stunned to learn that she was Dr. Mary Thornley, President of Trident Technical College.
Some might call it coincidence or fate, but I believe God placed Mary in my life at just the right time to give me direction when I needed it most. Over the next year and a half, we developed a friendship. She was always there with a kind word, a listening ear, and unwavering encouragement. She invested in the potential she saw in me — even when I couldn’t see it myself.
As a pastor, I had always loved hospice work. I treasured the sacred moments spent with parishioners in their final days. During one of our conversations, I told Mary that I had once considered becoming a nurse, but I had convinced myself that it wasn’t possible. Mary didn’t let me hold on to that doubt. Through her encouragement, I found the courage to pursue nursing.
In the spring of 2024, I applied to nursing school, was accepted, and placed on the waiting list. In the meantime, I began retaking my science courses since it had been more than five years. The thought of returning to school after so long felt daunting — but I knew I was finally stepping into a new and meaningful chapter of my life.
In the summer of 2024, I began taking my prerequisite science courses. At first, I was extremely anxious and unsure whether I could really do it, but I was blessed with incredible teachers. I loved my anatomy instructors, Mrs. Belinda Merkelis and Dr. Justin Schwartz. I found microbiology fascinating under Ashley Newton’s guidance and truly enjoyed Human Growth and Development with Dr. Lesleigh Garrett-Benson. Each of them helped rebuild my confidence and reminded me that it’s never too late to start again.
To my surprise and delight, I earned all A’s both summer and fall classes. I began to realize that I can do hard things, and that fear only has as much power as the voice we give it. When you have amazing people who come alongside you to encourage and believe in you, you start to see your own potential again.
Now, as I begin my second nursing class, I can honestly say I love it. I feel as though I am finally walking in the purpose for which I was created. God has given me a heart for people—especially for the elderly and those at the end of life—and nursing allows me to live out that calling. For me, nursing isn’t just a career; it is both my ministry and my mission to bring comfort, compassion, and healing to those in need. Every day, I thank God for how far He has brought me and for the opportunity to serve Him fully through this work. Furthermore, I am so grateful to Trident Technical College for inspiring me to be the best that I can be, not only in school but in the workforce as a nurse.