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| Park Kyung-yi |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Driven by her life-time longing for study, Park Kyung-yi, 55, a social worker, chose to start a new life in her 50s. She is now a prospective nurse who finished the national examination in December.
When she was in her 20s, Park aspired to become a social worker. But she didn't go to college because her parents couldn't afford to pay for her tuition.
She gave up plans to go to college and got married. While raising children, she realized her passion for study stilled burned within her.
At the age of 35, she enrolled to study social welfare at a community college. After graduating with top honors, she worked as a social worker in Busan.
"While I was working as a social worker, I still wanted to study more to develop my career, so I enrolled at Silla University in Busan, and then graduated with a master's degree in social welfare. I studied so hard that I even made the dean's list and was awarded scholarships several times," Park said.
But after pursuing a career as a social worker for more than a decade, Park decided that she wanted a new challenge, something that had been on her mind for a long time.
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| The photo shows Park's notes she took during her classes. Yonhap |
Park said her desire to help patients through professional medical knowledge had always lingered in her mind since she passed the entrance exam for nursing studies many years ago.
"I passed the nursing department entrance exam at a university a few years ago, but I gave up because I thought it was too much for me as a full-time social worker."
"But I found I couldn't stop thinking about the nursing studies that I had given up on," she said.
After much deliberation, Park eventually quit her job and decided to enroll in the nursing department of Silla University. But her college life as a junior student was far from easy.
"The massive amount of homework from every class and the 1,000-hour practical hospital training were a daunting process for a 50-year-old woman to follow," Park said.
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| Textbooks Park used in her classes. Yonhap |
In addition, continuous virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult to concentrate on lectures.
"But I didn't really want to give up because it came to me as the last chance to challenge myself in my life. I only slept three or four hours a day while studying at a library until dawn. When I went to Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital to do my practical, I had to drink more than 10 cups of coffee per day to stay awake."
Park gave credit to her family and friends who supported her to finish her studies and school life.
Her professors, seniors, and colleagues ― who called her "big sister" ― cheered her on and gave her a lot of energy, Park said.
"I was really grateful for their words of support during my time at college. Most of all, I am grateful to my seniors who offered warm advice and support like friends even though I was much older than them. Without them, it would have been more difficult to achieve my dream of becoming a nurse."
Thanks to all the support and her own efforts, she was able to get grades making her eligible to receive national scholarships with the exception of her first semester.
"I was determined to finish my studies and start a new life because it was me who decided to do it."
Park wanted to take care of the elderly, so she decided to start working at a nursing hospital.
"No matter how old you are, if you have a dream, don't be afraid to take on the challenge," Park said.
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