2025 Future Alumni Contest Winner: Teresa Hampton
Teresa Hampton
Nursing - ADN
2025 Future Alumni Essay Contest Winner
Still Becoming: My Journey to Nursing at 56
Since high school, I have carried a quiet dream deep with me–to become a registered nurse. I can still remember walking through the crowded gym on college night, my heart full of excitement and hope. I approached the recruiter and asked the question that meant everything to me: “Do you have a nursing program?” When the recruiter said yes, I filled out my application right away. But when I finally got to that school, I learned there was no nursing program at all. They had pre-med, but that wasn’t my calling. My heart was set on nursing. I remember feeling crushed–not angry, but lost. I still graduated, earning a degree in social work instead. It was meaningful work, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t where my heart would stay. Nursing was still there quietly waiting in the background of my life like a promise God had placed in me.
For years, that dream sat tucked away as I focused on family, work and life’s responsibilities. But even when I wasn’t thinking about nursing, my compassion for others never stopped showing up. Whether it was caring for someone who was sick, comforting a friend, or helping a stranger, I always felt this pull toward helping and healing. I didn’t realize it then, but that was potential–the kind of potential that lives in your spirit, waiting for the right moment to become purpose.
Six years ago, when I began working for the Department of Public Health, everything started to come together. In my role helping people affected by HIV, I saw firsthand how compassion could make a difference. Every day, I met individuals who carried not just an illness, but also the heavy burden of stigma and fear. Many felt unseen and unheard, yet I saw them–the human being behind the diagnosis.
From the moment I first learned about HIV as a teenager, my heart was moved with compassion. I was heartbroken by the idea that so many lives were being lost and misunderstood. But today, thanks to medical advances, people living with HIV can lead long, healthy, fulfilling lives. Still, so much stigma remains, I have passion to help change that. My goal as a registered nurse is to educate communities, provide compassionate care, and remind the world that HIV is not what it was thirty or forty years ago. I especially have a tender heart for the most vulnerable–infants and children who are born with the virus and have to navigate life with it from the start. My purpose as a registered nurse is to help give them the best possible chance to thrive and to comfort their families.
When I finally made the decision to return to school for nursing, I was 55 years old.
I won’t pretend it wasn’t intimidating. For a moment, I thought What am I doing? It’s
easy to let doubt whisper that maybe you’re too old, that maybe your season has passed.
But then I remembered–God’s timing is perfect, and His call doesn’t expire because
of age. I knew this was my time. I told myself, If I can still dream it, then I can
still do it.
Walking onto the campus of Trident Technical College, I felt both excited and nervous.
Surrounded by younger students, I wondered if I would fit in. But those worries faded
the moment I met the staff. They didn’t see my age as a limitation; they saw my determination.
Their encouragement became one of the most powerful forces in my journey of becoming
a registered nurse.
I’ll never forget the Success Coach, Ms. Cassandra Ward. She encouraged me and told
me I can do it. Those words touched me deeply. It was as if she saw right into my
soul and reminded me of the gift I had been carrying all along. That conversation
with her reignited my purpose and gave me confidence to believe that I truly belong
in this field.
The purpose I’ve uncovered at Trident is rooted in faith, compassion,and perseverance. Nursing, to me, is not just a career path–it’s a calling. It’s where my heart and my faith come together. It’s the place where I can live out what I believe: that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, care and love. My experiences in public health have prepared me to bring that kind of care to the bedside, especially for infants and children affected by HIV.
When I think about my future as a registered nurse, I see more than a job. I see myself as a vessel–someone God can use to bring comfort, healing and understanding. I want to help erase the fear and misinformation that still surround this virus. I want to be part of educating the next generation and ensuring that compassion and truth always walk hand in hand with medicine.
As I carry forward what I have gained so far at Trident, I plan to keep walking in purpose, not just potential. I want to pour into others the same way my instructors and staff poured into me. I want to encourage other nontraditional students–especially those who feel like their time has passed–to know that it’s never too late to pursue the purpose God placed inside them. Sometimes the journey takes longer than expected, but that is because God is preparing you for something greater.
Looking back now, I can see how every part of my journey fits together–the disappointment
of that first college night, the years spent in public health, the decision to return
to school, and the encouragement I found at Trident. Every step was necessary. Potential
was the starting point, but purpose is the destination.
At 56 years old, I am finally walking fully in mine.