Kylene and I met during our freshman year out at BYU. In fact we were roommates, along with 4 other girls. It was apparent right away that we would be very good friends and after just a few months we were practically inseparable. She left me after freshman year and moved to Hawaii where she attended BYU Hawaii, and I stayed in Utah. She came back to Provo for one summer and moved into my apartment and we had so much fun being together again--it was like we'd never spent any time apart at all. (It's still like that). A year later, she decided to go on a mission, and she left before I got to see her. While she was on her mission she kept writing me letters encouraging me to go. Although I had been waffling back and forth for some time, I finally decided to go on a mission. I turned in my papers without telling her, and when I got my call I photocopied it and sent it along with a letter to Taiwan, where she was serving. I wish I could have seen her reaction to my surprise, but even though I wasn't there, her next letter said it all. She was so excited for me! I left for Ukraine just a few months before Kylene returned from her mission. By the time I got back from my mission she had moved back to Provo and was working as a CNA, trying to decide what to do with herself and her education. I moved in with her and we got to be roommates again! We had an absolute blast this year, especially since most of our other roommates were so cool. Kylene told me how she wanted to become a Physician's Assistant but she wasn't sure she could get into a program anywhere and so she was ready to settle for a nursing degree. I knew she could do PA school, because Kylene is one of the smartest and most dedicated people I know. But my confidence alone wasn't enough. In the midst of filling out nursing school applications, however, Kylene realized she couldn't settle for anything less than what she really wanted, and decided that whatever the outcome, she would apply to PA school. I remember when she told me she would pursue being a Physician's Assistant, I was so excited! I had always known she could do it, I was just waiting for her to realize it! After working in Provo as a CNA for a year, she moved down to Las Vegas to live with her brother, and continued working as a CNA. She completed the application process and soon was receiving phone calls from several schools wanting to interview her. She stopped in Provo once on her way to a couple of the interviews so I got to see my dear friend again. When all was said and done, she had several acceptance letters, but finally decided to go to school in Philadelphia. It turned out to be quite fortuitous, as she met her husband while she was at grad school. Now, after two years of tears and laughter, dilligence and disappointment, she has graduated from PA school and passed her boards.
I am so proud of Kylene and all that she has accomplished. Her graduation is truly a victory not only for her but for those of us, her friends, who know and love her. Her journey to this moment has inspired me in ways that she may never even know. In a society that struggles to understand the value of education, I am so proud to call this accomplished and wonderful woman my best friend.
1 comment:
Wow. Thank you so much. I really feel so touched that I don't think words could express my feelings. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend to me all of these years. I know your support and encouragement has helped me on multiple occasions, and not just in grad school. I love you so much!
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