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Marisa Cardenas
knows what she wants to be “when she grows up.”
The 18-year-old freshman, a graduate of Ringgold High School,
wants to be a midwife, helping women prepare for the “unique and
original experience of childbirth.”
“My aunt came to Dalton State and took classes in one of the
healthcare programs, and she now works for the Associates in
Obstetrics and Gynecology (AOG) clinic in Dalton,” says
Cardenas.
“I job-shadowed one of my aunt’s co-workers at AOG, and I knew
that that’s what I wanted to do. I really like the personal
touch that midwives have. I want to be there and help women
prepare for the experience of giving birth.”
To accomplish that goal, Cardenas knows she’ll need to earn her
Registered Nursing degree. She plans to complete the program at
Dalton State and then pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree in
nursing, expecting to complete the nurse-midwife certification
requirements at either Vanderbilt or Emory University.
While she’s at Dalton State, Cardenas expects to keep her level
of participation in extracurricular activities high. She
recently attended an Association to Promote Campus Activities (APCA)
conference to help plan student activities events for next year.
A member of the Northwest Georgia Crescent Leadership Alliance,
Cardenas also attended a leadership conference earlier this year
and has applied to be a Student Orientation, Ambassadors, and
Recruitment (SOAR) leader on campus. She is a member of the
Solidaridad Club on campus as well. |
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“I love being involved
with things that I want to be connected to,” she says. “I think
it helps you get a good job. You have to get out there.”
Cardenas takes 16 hours per semester, which she admits is
“pretty tough. Dalton State is very hard. I was not ready at all
for the transition and for the amount of time you have to put
into your studying. But I’ve learned that you have to keep
fighting and going for what you want. You can’t let anybody tell
you that you can’t do something – because you can.”
Cardenas’ convictions along that front are somewhat personal as
her mother, a single parent since her father’s death 15 years
ago, has proven to be an inspiration to her.
“We came here from Guatemala after my father died,” she says,
“and moved to Ringgold to be near family. For a while, we lived
with my aunt, also a single mother, and my cousin Maria. My
mother now owns a housecleaning business. She’s one of my best
friends and my confidant. She is the person I most want to
impress.”
Her mother has made numerous sacrifices to make sure that her
daughter can pursue her dreams, says Cardenas, mentioning that
her mother provides for her financial needs so that she does not
have to work while she’s in school.
In addition to her interests in science-related courses,
Cardenas has discovered a real passion for French.
“I love the fluency of the language,” she says. “It’s so
different from any of the languages I already know. I’d love to
go over to Paris someday and live for about a year.”
Cardenas says that her teachers in all of the subjects she’s
taken so far have been great, and that they have made themselves
available and have been very supportive.
“Dalton State has a pretty great atmosphere, and I’ve made some
awesome friends since I got here. But I didn’t think I’d like it
here when I first came,” she recalls. “I wanted to be
independent and live on my own. But after seeing some things
going on with my friends who went away, I see that coming here
is the best decision I could have made.”
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