December graduate an everyday hero

There are all kinds of heroes, including those people who in the eyes of another have special qualities or abilities – those people who are looked up to as role models.

According to Dr. Mary Kay Smid, College of Saint Mary associate professor of nursing, if you apply those criteria, you won’t have to look further than Angela Tamms, who graduates this December from CSM with her degree in nursing.

Smid says Tamms’ passion for her chosen profession is absolute and shows in how she cares for her patients. “If I had to go to the hospital,” says Smid, “I would want to look up and see her face.”

This isn’t Tamms’ first trip down CSM’s matriculation lane. But her latest achievement has been just as arduous as her first.

During high school, she had always thought that she would one day go to college. But after graduating from Omaha South High, she found herself alone with two small children, and a series of mediocre jobs. “They were just paying the bills,” says Tamms. None of them offered her or her children any kind of future.

Tamms reassessed her life and by 2000, she was ready to embark on her first journey into higher education.

When deciding upon a course of study, the single mother thought of the care she’d received while in the maternity ward. “I remembered the nurse who took care of me,” Tamms recalls, “she made me feel like everything was just great.” Becoming a nurse wasn’t a difficult decision. It turned out that choosing CSM wasn’t a difficult decision, either.

Tamms looked at all of the Omaha area nursing programs but, after visiting College of Saint Mary she knew CSM was just where she wanted to be.

The University’s new Mothers Living & Learning program impressed her, says Tamms. She didn’t intend to enroll in the program, as she had a good living arrangement off campus. But the program showed her CSM’s commitment to educating all women, including single parent mothers. It felt like home, she says.

The first years were tough. Already a single mother of three, Tamms had two more children while studying for her associate degree. She somehow managed to juggle the demands of motherhood, work part-time employment as a technician at the University of Nebraska Medicine, and study full time at CSM.

Finding time amid the controlled chaos of her life was difficult but she persevered.

“She may have struggled with all of those parts of her life,” says Smid, “but she pushed forward and persisted.”

In 2006 Tamms became the first member of her family to receive a college degree.

She continued working at UNMC as a nurse in telemetry and raising her family. But after about eight years, Tamms felt the need for change.

“I like learning, and wanted a change of pace.” But the kind of change she was looking for would require even more work.

In the fall of 2015 Tamms thought about going back to school for her bachelor of science in nursing.

“There wasn’t a lot going on in my life,” she says. “The kids were getting older and taking care of themselves more and more. I thought, maybe I should check into going back to school.”

Once again, she considered all of the area nursing programs. And again, after visiting campus, CSM rose above the others.

“Seeing all of the changes they’d made since I was studying for my associate’s degree was amazing,” says Tamms. The renovations and new construction impressed her.

There were academic reasons, as well. CSM’s program was the most compatible with Tamms. “When I talked with admissions, everything dovetailed,” she says. “Plus, even though it had been nearly ten years, I knew the professors and my old advisor, Dr. Smid.”

Studying for her bachelor’s degree once again called on Tamms’ dedication to her profession. The once-again single mother had five children at home, a job in the neuroscience ICU at UNMC and full time studies at CSM – including hours of clinical experience and community service.

When asked to describe a typical day for her, Tamms’ begins with a little laugh and a single word.

“Busy.”

Tamms’ work/school day would start at 6:20 a.m. and wouldn’t end until after 9:00 at night. It took a toll not only on her, but her children as well.

“The kids got tired of it. ‘When are you going to be done with school?’ they’d ask. If I wasn’t working, I was at school. My life has just been a little nuts.” Still, Tamms says it’s worth the work.

“I do recommend going back to school to better yourself. It’s a ton of hard work, but you know, you just have to stick with it.” Tamms says she’s not only bettered herself, but her family, as well.

“In the long run, I feel like I’m in a better place to take care of my family financially, and provide them with a role model.” Tamms has achieved both goals. She recently transferred from the neuroscience ICU to the emergency room, and her son Marcus, who graduates from high school this spring, is following her footsteps towards a college education.

By Chris Kasel, Media Coordinator