WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Like many students, Teresa Cagle came to Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) searching for her identity and purpose. She found them through the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program.
“When I first enrolled, I was lost and unsure of what I wanted to do with my future,” the Bald Knob, Arkansas, native said. “I have always been a caregiver by nature but thought that nursing was beyond my grasp.
“This educational experience restored a faith in myself that I was lacking,” she added. “I have found my purpose, my drive and self-assurance that I can do whatever I choose to do with my future. I feel I have reached the first of many goals that I have set for myself.”
Cagle, who now lives in West Plains, chose to enroll at MSU-WP because of its affordability and the high praise she heard from other students about its programs. The support she received from her instructors and the university’s support services assured her she had made the right choice.
Her instructors, she said, saw her as more than just a student and took a personal interest in her life, going above and beyond to support her when she struggled and encouraged her to keep trying.
“I met so many people in my time at Missouri State-West Plains; however, Mrs. (Barbara) Caton and Mrs. (Amy) Ackerson are the two people who helped me the most,” Cagle said of the two nursing instructors.
“Mrs. Caton was so positive and embodies the type of person I wanted to be. She made nursing sound like the career that I have been looking for, and she was right. It is,” Cagle said.
“Mrs. Ackerson, while tough, is someone who I consider to be the biggest influence in my choice to continue nursing school when it got tough,” Cagle explained. “She was there for me personally when my husband got the news that he was in stage 4 spinal cord cancer and when my daughter was facing a GI bleed. I didn’t know if I would be able to finish my degree, but she worked for me, prayed for me and encouraged me.
“For that matter, I cannot say enough good things about any and all of the instructors I have had,” she added. “They are personally invested in their students.”
Cagle, who graduated this summer with her ASN degree, now works as a neuro-psych nurse at Ozarks Healthcare, formerly Ozarks Medical Center, in West Plains. She considers finishing her degree and beginning her career as a registered nurse as her biggest academic accomplishments to date.
“I would not trade my career choice or my choice to attend Missouri State-West Plains,” she said. “I believe that nurses impact their communities on many levels. The door is open for me to help others in their darkest hours. To me, that is a huge impact.”
Cagle also offered some encouraging words for others who may be considering enrolling in college courses at MSU-WP.
“A new life is waiting for you. Life does not stop, circumstances change, struggles are real. Don’t wait to start your future. A new life is within your grasp. Go get it!”
