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The development of art and of science are two of humanity’s crowning achievements. Without science, our civilization would not have been able to advance to the point at which it is today. Without art, our existence in today’s world would not be as rich and varied as it is. The two are seemingly at odds with each other: science is concerned with cold, hard facts and feats of engineering with the logical language of mathematics as their bedrock, and art is suffused with emotion and often produced without regard to formal rules or norms. Yet, just as their coexistence within our civilization is what makes it strong, an interest in both can go a long way toward making one a well-rounded, content person. Senior Kyla Levy is one such person.

Kyla
Levy
The Art
of Caring

Kyla’s scientific side manifests as an interest in medicine. She is currently enrolled in the Certified Nursing Assistant program at Shawnee Community College’s Alexander County Extension Center in Cairo. There, students learn to function as a vital part of a healthcare team, under the direction of a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse, in settings such as nursing homes or home health care.

 

When Kyla graduates from the program at the end of this year, she will be qualified to begin working in the healthcare field immediately. But she could, as she says, decide to “go bigger.”

 

By “bigger” Kyla means that she could opt to continue her studies and become a pediatrician, a goal she set for herself because she enjoys working with children and working with kids in a healthcare capacity would be ideal for her. “They just make me happy,” she beams.

 

Kyla was inspired to follow this path as the result of a serious health scare when she was much younger. A condition that caused her to suffer strokes made it necessary for her to undergo brain surgery. Her experience with all of the doctors, nurses and other dedicated healthcare professionals during her recovery sparked a desire in her to give back to others what had been given to her. “I think about all the other kids in my situation… I want to be able to help them,” she says. To be able to do so would make her feel “great, because I was able to give back, I was just able to help them.”

 

Kyla would seem to be dead-set on a medical career, but her artistic side needs an outlet as well. She loves to draw and paint, and is not ruling out making at least part of her living in the future as an artist. Another way that she expresses herself creatively is through baking artfully crafted and decorated sweets, and owning a bakery is something she has long dreamed about.

 

But then, it doesn’t have to be one or the other – science or art. There’s no reason why these creative pursuits can’t peacefully coexist with a career in medicine. One might even say that, to be a content, complete person, one must engage in a variety of interests. Kyla sums it up this way: “I just plan on doing a whole bunch of things, just being busy-busy.”

I think about all the other kids in my situation… I want to be able to help them.
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