Graduate Spotlight - Katrina Nuber

Katrina Nuber

Respiratory Therapist, May 2019

“The instructors know your name and ask about your life. They are truly invested in you as a student, and it’s so empowering to have all these people backing you to be successful.”

Trina Nuber didn’t know what to expect when she enrolled at Mid-State Technical College. She had heard a lot of positive feedback from friends and family who had attended the College, but her program choice was less clear.

She knew she wanted to help people, and working in customer service wasn’t doing that for her. Trina thought long and hard about which program to choose, ultimately recalling the time her daughter was hospitalized with bronchiolitis. “She was nine months old,” says Trina, “Out of all the people who were in and out, I remembered the respiratory therapist the most. Their treatments take a bit longer, so we had a chance to connect, and she really made us feel better. Now I can be that person for someone else and keep the cycle going.”

When Trina started the Respiratory Therapist program, she knew little about the days ahead. “I did expect to work hard, but I had no idea how involved it became in your life.” She also didn’t expect how involved the instructors are with the students. “The instructors know your name and ask about your life. They are truly invested in you as a student, and it’s so empowering to have all these people backing you to be successful.”

The rigor of the program meant she really had to work hard to get those good grades. For Trina, getting through it came down to making sure she didn’t lose her own self along the way. She learned to plot out her day from the moment she woke up to the time she went to bed, finding innovative ways to still make time for what she loves. “I started listening to audio books on my commute,” says Trina, “I love reading but didn’t have time. This is a way for me to get that same nourishment for my own self while getting where I need to be.”

Trina is now looking forward to her new full-time position as a respiratory therapist at Ascension St. Michael’s Hospital in Stevens Point, but most of all she appreciates the journey she’s just been on and the accomplishments she’s attained. “I really just want to live in the moment, pat myself on the back and revel in this moment before moving on to the next endeavor.”