Amanda Parker: Finding the Light Within

Scholarship student Amanda Parker had a different career and a different life when she realized one day that she had to be a nurse.

by Lisa Hijazin

Amanda Parker has so much compassion to give. Her life’s mission, she says, is to treat her patients with the love, care and compassion they deserve. “I believe that nursing is a lot about medicine, but it is more about the soul,” she said. “Through my experiences, empathy is my greatest gift. I want to be able to say, ‘I’m here for you,’ and to listen.”

Parker, a Graduate Entry program student (2023 cohort) at the College of Nursing, is a recipient of The Donna Sell Kohlhepp Endowed Scholarship in Advance Practice Nursing. She was admitted into the program in June 2020 and is currently finishing her last semester of pre-licensure before becoming an RN and diving into her specialty in spring 2022. She wants to eventually become a pediatric nurse practitioner.

If you would like to impact the next generation of healthcare leaders through a scholarship, please contact Courtney Shaul, shaul.8@osu.edu or 614-688-1086.

Her career path didn’t start with nursing, though. Parker graduated from high school in Defiance County, Ohio and went to New York for business school. While she studied for her B.S. in business administration at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh, New York, she worked full-time as a salesperson for high-end luxury retail stores. “The first time I saw New York City, my mind was blown,” Parker said. “My parents struggled financially while I was growing up and sometimes I would work with a customer that would spend $5,000 in 30 minutes.”

The early loss of two family members made her reflect on the value of her life and look for her true purpose. While she was in New York, her father died of a heart attack at age 51. Five years ago, her brother lost his battle with addiction from an overdose. “I want what I do in my life to give their lives bigger purpose. They impacted my life so much. I want to do right by them … our purpose as humans is to bring meaning to those we loved so much. They wanted us to live our fullest lives and the way that I can live my fullest life is to make people smile and help them live their healthiest, fullest lives.”

When she decided to go back to college for nursing, though, she already had a mortgage to pay and previous student loans. Parker said the scholarship helped to alleviate a lot of that financial burden. “When I got the letter, I started crying – this is a lot of money!” she said.

“The scholarship is wrapped up with everything that is my future,” Parker said. “It is the future of my kids if I get the privilege of having my own one day. It’s my practice, my relationship, the next house I buy – it holds that much weight for me and I am so thankful.”

Parker wants to make a change in underserved and underinsured populations. Growing up in rural Ohio, Parker was exposed to communities that were not receiving adequate care or education. She said she believes the root cause of chronic illnesses starts early on in life.

She feels lucky to have her mother’s love and support, and be surrounded by loving family, her boyfriend and so many professors who have helped her along the way. “Dr. Zellefrow was there for me, and was incredibly gracious and understanding,” while her stepfather was dying from COVID-19 this past spring, she said.

Outside of her practice, Parker finds balance through gardening, hiking, practicing self-love, caring for her rescue dogs and cats and spending time with her boyfriend. “The best way to celebrate and honor the people that I loved and the way they built me up is to live my life as fully as possible,” she said. “There will always be darkness, death and illness, but if we can find that light, not just within ourselves, but to give it to others, then it will all be better.”