December 17, 2020
Story and photo by Joe Vinduska
Registered Nurse Eden Mulligan of Great Bend used Barton's services all the way from her high school equivalency degree through nursing school, and she now provides for her family with a job she loves.
It wasn鈥檛 an easy path. Mulligan overcame many hardships to get to where she is today.
Tragedy struck at the age of 16, when she lost her father in a motor vehicle accident. The toll of the loss, compounded by dysfunctional home life and alcohol abuse, sent her down a dark path.
鈥淚 found myself caring less and less about attending or being involved with the school setting,鈥 she said. 鈥淒ealing with conflict amongst peers also caused extra anxiety when I did attend classes. I knew about Barton鈥檚 GED program and I was about to get in trouble for truancy, so I made a deal with my mom that I would have my GED by the end of the year if she signed me out permanently to avoid a court date.鈥
Mulligan completed her high school equivalency degree through Barton in 2004 within six weeks, and this was the start of progress for the troubled teen, but there would be more roadblocks along the way.
She ended up in foster care at the age of 17 and enrolled at Barton, but fell back into living a risky lifestyle and didn鈥檛 even complete her first semester. Life changed drastically for her over the next few years. She tried college a few more times but was unsure of the path she wanted to take. She spent most of her time raising three kids as a stay-at-home mom.
In 2015, the bottom of the oil industry fell out and her spouse lost his job. She knew she had to do something.
鈥淚 heard that Great Bend Health & Rehabilitation was offering to pay for Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) courses with a signed contract to work for them for six months,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 passed my CNA courses at Barton and realized that was my calling. I immediately went to Barton鈥檚 Center for Adult Education and inquired about enrolling in the nursing program. They helped me work through my financial aid issues as well as enrolling me - all in the first visit.鈥
Mulligan said being a mother made her realize that she is a natural caretaker and nursing was the perfect progression for her career. She completed Barton's RN program in 2019.
鈥淏arton did a great job between lectures and clinical work in preparing me for the real world and honestly the transition was not that rough,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he program can be demanding at times, but the instructors were all wonderful and personable. They made the learning process easy by being accessible for questions and always providing resources. I gained lifelong friends through Barton鈥檚 program. I promote Barton鈥檚 nursing program to everyone that鈥檚 looking to continue their education. I even tell my teenage sons to consider it as an option in the next couple of years.鈥
At the end of the day, Mulligan knows her work has an impact and that is truly satisfying for her.
鈥淚 enjoy helping people and advocating,鈥 she said. 鈥淲orking here at Heart of Kansas Family Health Clinic, we help a lot of people with medications and referrals who normally wouldn鈥檛 be able to afford it. It鈥檚 rewarding and makes me feel like I鈥檓 making a difference in people鈥檚 lives.鈥
Mulligan lives in Great Bend with her husband and four kids. She is currently enrolled at Grand Canyon University Online and is working toward her bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing.
Applications for the 2021-2022 school year are now open. Priority deadline to apply for the Nursing program is January 31, however, applications can still be received until March 1. For more information visit nursing.bartonccc.edu or contact Ashlie Thomas at (620) 792-9355 or thomasa@bartonccc.edu.