The decision to become a nurse was a “lightning bolt moment” that came out of nowhere for Lower Columbia College student Kayla Wood.
“If you would have told me the month before, I would have been like, ‘Yeah, no, that’s not me. That’s not happening,’” Wood said.
Two weeks after she decided to switch careers in spring 2021, she was enrolled in classes at LCC, following the advice of friends and industry professionals who told her that LCC’s nursing program was the best in the area.
Wood, a then-38-year-old mother of four from Battle Ground, was looking for both a new direction in life and a way to support her family after her ex-husband was charged with sexually abusing their daughters. He was facing life sentences in prison, which meant she would not be able to receive child support from him.
People are also reading…
“I knew I needed to go back (to school),” she said. “I needed to find something more than a J-O-B.”
Her decision to take up nursing was inspired by her extensive experience with doctors from the patient’s side, she said. She has had 12 surgeries in her life, her children combined have had 13, and her firstborn child spent eight days in the neonatal intensive care unit before dying shortly after birth.
“I’ve had really great nurses, and I’ve had nurses that totally sucked, and you don’t forget the good ones,” she said.
Nursing would also provide a way for her to give back to the community, Wood said. She also considered work related to the Children’s Justice Center, such as becoming a lawyer, for similar reasons. Ultimately, though, she wanted something that required fewer school hours and did not have to be a full-time job but one that she could still be proud of. Nursing fit the bill perfectly.
“One of the greatest lessons my mom gave me is after my baby died, she always told me, ‘If you want to feel better about yourself, go do something for someone,” Wood said. “And that is so true. I feel fulfilled in a different way when I go spend 12 hours on the floor at the hospital.”
Wood graduated from Clark College in 2001 with a degree in computer science, but going back to school was intimidating because of how much the process has changed in 20 years, she said.
Attending classes was also something of a juggling act. While completing her prerequisites for the nursing program, Wood worked full time for an electrical contractor and cared for her mother after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, leaving her time for only two asynchronous classes each quarter.
“I was up until 1 or 2 in the morning doing school, then get back up at 4 (and) do it all over again,” she said.
After Wood was accepted into the nursing program, her 13-year-old son was diagnosed with a bone tumor. Then there were personal medical complications and a court trial against her ex-husband.
Through it all, she received support from her advisers at LCC, who directed her toward necessary resources and helped her secure scholarships, including the Student Success Fund.
“I didn’t ever perceive it as pity. Not once,” she said. “It was, ‘We’re here to help you. That’s our job.’”
The LCC Foundation and The Daily News’ Students in Need fundraising drive supports the Student Success Fund, which provides emergency assistance to students who are at higher risk of dropping out due to financial hardship. Last year’s drive surpassed its goal of $35,000 by about $4,300. This year is the drive's ninth year and the goal is the same.
“When one student completes their degree, it has a lasting impact on their entire family and our community,” said Kendra Sprague, vice president of foundation, human resources and legal affairs at LCC.

Thanks in large part to the support she received, Wood is on track to graduate in June with a degree in nursing and a Registered Nurse license.
“It’s a homegrown feel, and the people that are employed (at LCC) are amazing,” she said. “Were it not for the help I received, I could not have done it.”