Determined Taylor honoured with ACC One To Watch Award

Advertisement

Advertise with us

Kayla Taylor always wanted to be a nurse, but for a long time she never thought it could actually happen for her.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $14.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

Subscribe Now

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/04/2018 (2170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kayla Taylor always wanted to be a nurse, but for a long time she never thought it could actually happen for her.

That was more than two years ago. Today, the 31-year-old from Portage la Prairie is only a few weeks away from graduating with a diploma in practical nursing from Assiniboine Community College in Southport.

The straight-A student, who has raised a now-11-year-old son throughout her time in school, said she often doubted herself, wondering if becoming a nurse was something she could even do.

Nathan Liewicki/The Brandon Sun
Kayla Taylor poses with her One to Watch Award from the practical nursing program (Southport Aboriginal Practical Nursing) alongside Karen Harreaves, dean of school and human Services, at the Assiniboine Community College year-end awards banquet at the Keystone Centre's MNP Hall on Thursday evening.
Nathan Liewicki/The Brandon Sun Kayla Taylor poses with her One to Watch Award from the practical nursing program (Southport Aboriginal Practical Nursing) alongside Karen Harreaves, dean of school and human Services, at the Assiniboine Community College year-end awards banquet at the Keystone Centre's MNP Hall on Thursday evening.

But driven by her strong work ethic and the support of her family, Taylor stuck with it and soon became someone her fellow classmates could look up to.

And on Thursday, Taylor came home from Assiniboine’s fifth annual Student Achievement Celebration dinner with a One To Watch Award, an honour that recognizes a student’s exceptional achievements and significant contributions to their profession and the community.

“I always thought about my son and his future,” she said. “His dad, my partner, he’s always been really, really supportive and helpful, and I think that that was another thing that helped me get through everything, with having really, really good support at home.”

Some of those lifelong supports were her grandparents, whom Taylor had lived with from the time she was two up until she was nearly 18 years old.

Her grandmother passed away in 2008 and by the time Taylor started her first year of school in 2016, her mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

She came to live with Taylor in Portage and throughout the school year, Taylor said her mother would always say how proud she was.

“She would always talk to all her friends and everybody, always say, ‘Oh, this is my daughter, she’s in nursing school,’” Taylor said. “She was always really proud.”

Taylor lost her mother on Feb. 19, 2017, just as spring break was about to start, and from then on school became an escape — a way to forget about the tough times in her life.

“There were times when I felt overwhelmed and sad feeling bad about it,” she said. “But I thought the way I can kind of give back is to give it all I can, stick with it and just work hard, and I know that they would be proud.”

All the while, Taylor would care for her son, taking him to hockey games while she did homework in the stands.

And as she finishes her practicum at Portage District General Hospital, Taylor said she would like to continue working at the hospital, or ideally anywhere in the Portage area so her son can stay with his friends and teammates.

But whether it’s pediatrics, maternity or long-term care, Taylor said she has enjoyed all of it.

“It just seemed like one thing after the other was falling into place for me.”

» mlee@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @mtaylorlee

ACC student achievement

The Assiniboine Community College 2018 Student Achievement Celebration Awards recipients:

One to Watch Awards

• Accounting and Finance (International) —Yang Gu

• Agribusiness — Randi Wright

• Business Accounting — Mila Milosevic

• Business Financial Services — Chevon Laylor

• Business Marketing — Griffen McLean

• Environment Land and Water — Cassandra Goertzen

• Horticultural Production — Tiffany Nykolyshyn

• Hotel and Restaurant — Cassidy Gordon

• Office Legal — Tyler Warren

• Office Medical — Kara Kentner

• Sustainable Food — Arshdeep Kaur Brar

• CHCA — Alicia Burnell

• Education Assistant — Jessica Croft

• ECE — Leah Bartel

• Police Studies — Marcus Trowbridge

• LPN (Brandon) — Lana Chorney

• LPN (Southport) — Luke Stoughton

• LPN (Southport Aboriginal) — Kayla Taylor

• LPN (Winnipeg) — Katharina Toews

• Social Service Worker — Jessica Jackson

• Automotive Technician — Matthew Lerch

• Civil Technician — Garett Strath

• Communication Engineering Technician — Tyson Mowatt

• Carpentry and Woodworking — Tanner Real

• Construction Electrician — Dustin Rusk

• Heavy Duty Equip Technician — Todd Nawrocki

• IMA Interactive Designer — Ana Maria Camelo Gutierrez

• IMA Multi-Media Producer — Riley Bruce

• IMA Writer/Producer — Ashley McCallum

• Network Administration Technician — Javier Gutierrez

• Piping Trades — Luc Desjardins

• Power Engineering — Shea Godfrey

Students’ Association Awards

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Cassandra Goertzen

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Jack Routledge

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Morgan Donald

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Jasmine Armstrong

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Jade Ming

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Courntey Matienzo

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Kristynn Moore

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Jaswinder Kaushal

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Kaylee Hayden

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Ana Camelo

• ACCSA Council Appreciation — Tanya Salmon

• ACCSA and Student VIP Student Life Award — Shylan Sinclair

• ACCSA Student Council Experience Award — Alessandra Herrera

• ACCSA Pat Josephson Memorial Award — Anneliesea Parkinson

• ACCSA and Houston’s Council Leadership Award — Bryden Moar

• ACCSA Instructor Excellence Award — Terry Arksey

» Assiniboine Community College

Report Error Submit a Tip

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Local

LOAD MORE