Local Teen Defies Age Norm
Graduates High School Early and Embarks on Nursing School Journey at 16
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
While most teenagers are navigating the challenges of their final years of high school, one local teen took a leap into the world of higher education and chose to pursue a career in nursing at the tender age of just 16. In a remarkable feat of academic prowess, career-driven 16-year-old Kemi Risner has shattered expectations by not only graduating from high school ahead of schedule but also enrolling in nursing school to pursue her passion for health care.
Risner, realized exactly what she wanted out of life during her freshman year at Boyd County High School. “I was in my freshman year of high school when COVID hit, which led to not being able to attend school for over a year. While being out of school, I realized that I wanted to go ahead and finish high school so that I could get a head start on my nursing career,” shared Risner. With her mind made up, Risner set her sights to the future and began devising a plan to set everything in motion. But first, she had to pitch the idea to her parents. “At first, I had no clue how to go about graduating early or if I could even do it. My parents didn't really want me to graduate at such a young age either. After talking to the principal at my school and getting all the information I needed, my parents supported my decision to graduate. I just felt like I was ready to see what my future in nursing would look like and was ready to get started.”
Ever since Risner was a young child, she knew that the path God had for her would lead to a career in nursing. Risner explained, “I have always wanted to be a nurse ever since I was a little girl. I would watch movies and TV shows with doctors and nurses and would dream of being able to do what they were doing. I've always wanted to help people, and I knew that being a nurse was exactly how I would do that.”
Things progressed quite quickly for Risner after she graduated from Boyd County High School ahead of schedule. Upon graduation, Risner enrolled and was accepted into the nursing program at Ashland Community and Technical College making her one of the programs youngest to be accepted.
As Kemi navigated the challenges of nursing school over the last two years, she remained grounded, recognizing the responsibility that comes with being one of the youngest students in her cohort. She was determined to prove that age is not a barrier to success and hoped to inspire fellow teenagers to pursue their dreams with the same tenacity and drive that has kept her going. Embarking on such an adventure is enough to make anybody nervous but young Risner didn’t let that stop her from going after her dreams. Risner shared, “I was for sure nervous about being the youngest one in the program. I guess I thought that if people knew my age and how young I was that they would treat me differently. For the most part, this wasn't true at all, and I have made many friends that treat me the same as anyone else.”
Of course, any journey worth traveling doesn’t come without its share of obstacles. “I feel like my biggest obstacle was just having to get everything done in such a short amount of time in order to get accepted into the program. I needed to complete three more prerequisites before I could start the program, so I had to get them all done that summer,” noted Risner. She went on to add, “There were many times that I felt like giving up and thought that I would fail. When I felt this way, I would study harder and pray that God would help me through it, and He always did!”
With just one semester left in her program, Risner is excited to graduate with her RN this May. An emotional Risner shared, “Nursing school is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done, but I am so glad I decided to do it. At the beginning of the program, it seemed like it would never end. Now that I have one semester left, I can't believe how far I've come. I will forever cherish the memories I have made in this program and all of the people I've met that have helped me along the way. I hope that one day a little girl looks up to me like I looked up to the nurses in my childhood.” The sky is the limit for this determined young lady as she already has her sights set on her next big goal, which is to obtain her BSN upon graduation and later she hopes to obtain her masters.
As Risner prepares to don her nursing scrubs and steps into the world of health care, she represents a beacon of inspiration for those who dare to dream big, regardless of their age. The future looks bright for this young trailblazer as she paves the way for a new generation of early achievers and proves to us all that age really is just a number and does not define who you are or who you are meant to become.
