EIT valedictorian Sammy Little says she already knew as a little girl that one day she would become a nurse. It took some years, however, to finally put her dream into action.
Sammy is the third oldest of eight children and she always felt responsible for her parents and siblings, who over the years, had to cope with a lot of challenging family events. When she finished high school Sammy completed a caregiving course and started to work as a caregiver in a rest home.
“Going into tertiary education however, was never talked about let alone encouraged in my family,” Sammy says. Nevertheless, Sammy enrolled at EIT but then pulled out at the last moment, afraid of how her life might change. She went back to her old job, but it never felt right again.
The next time she applied to study at EIT she pulled herself together, carried on and she hasn’t once regretted it. “I made real friends and we helped each other out. Funnily enough, I even got to know my second cousin who is also a nursing student,” says Sammy.
On the weekends Sammy kept working at the rest home, juggling studying, a job and family life, which was tough, she says. Luckily her husband and her big family supported her and helped take care of their two daughters, now aged 11 and 13.
“I probably function better under stress,” admits Sammy. It’s no surprise that her first job is at the Hawke’s Bay DHB Emergency Department, which is tailor-made for Sammy. “Working at the DHB and seeing ill people all day, has been the steepest learning curve I’ve ever had.”
“I also like the fact that nursing is a truly holistic occupation. I don’t just look at patient’s health problems and at what medication might be advised, but on how patients cope emotionally and socially once they leave the hospital. As nurses we carry a lot of responsibility.”
Sammy admits to feeling very nervous about being this year’s valedictorian. “It’s actually nerve racking. It’s probably the biggest challenge of my life,” says Sammy. Sammy relishes challenges like this – after all, they are what in the past, Sammy has proved she is able to meet and overcome.