Bruce Powell had a steady job at ADM and a place he knew. He also had a pull toward something else.
While working at the plant, Powell served on a rescue team. As an emergency medical responder, he responded to accidents and realized he loved the work.
“So I quit my job, put everything on the line and pursued an EMT certificate,” Powell said, adding he graduated from that EICC program last year. Instead of stepping into an ambulance, he decided to continue his medical training and become a nurse. In May, he completed the first step and graduated from EICC with a CNA. His next step is nursing school.
“I’m pretty proud of that, and I’m happy I’ll get to be a part of change in the medical field. I can’t wait to be an asset,” Powell said.
This career path became more personal after Powell lost his mother. He had school the day she was taken by ambulance. She did not make it home.
“Wanting to bring people back home to their families, it’s a passion I’ve had for a while. I was just scared to take the leap. Sometimes you just have to put everything on the line and do what you love doing,” he said.
Powell knows adult students carry more than coursework. He has three daughters and understands balancing school, parenting, studying, and work can be challenging.
When he worked at the plant, the long nights were hard on his family. “They wanted my time, and I was just trying to put food on the table,” he said. Going back to school gave Powell a new direction and a chance to show his daughters what it looks like to set and stick with a goal, and the success that follows. “I’m showing them that I can do it, even at my age,” he said.
At EICC, Powell joined Phi Theta Kappa, helped with Eat It Meals, participated in work-study, and got involved with the RISE program. Through Student Senate, he found a place to speak up for his peers and help shape campus life. “I got to be a voice for that,” he said.
The Clinton campus was a place where Powell felt known and supported. Staff answered his questions, pointed him toward scholarships, and made sure he had what he needed.
“They always made me feel like family. They cared about me, not just academically, but as a person,” Powell said.
Even with that support, Powell does not pretend the work was easy. EMT classes were demanding. Nursing school will be, too. He knows there will be long nights and moments when quitting feels tempting.
His answer is to keep looking forward. “There’s a reason why they make the rearview mirror small, and there’s a reason why they make the windshield big. Just focus on where you’re going. Do what you got to do,” he said.
That message carried into commencement, where Powell was one of the student speakers. His theme was built from his own experience: Age does not decide what is possible, and there is no perfect time to start.
He is so glad he took that first step. “When I first started, I had so many doubts,” Powell said, adding he flipped his doubts into a positive. “They motivated me to prove everyone, most importantly myself and my kids, that I can finish what I started.”
For other adult students, Powell’s message is direct: Don’t wait for life to settle down before starting, because there is no perfect time. “The time is now if you want to do something in life. Believe in yourself, always. That’s where it starts.”