Caleb Murphy has been a CNC student for one semester, but he is already making a splash.
He was just named one of 20 recipients of the $5,000 Paul and Gerri Charette Bursary – awarded to students who “face challenges or barriers to participating in and completing post-secondary education.”
This is not Murphy’s first crack at post secondary, when he graduated from a local high school in 2009 he went to the University of British Columbia, where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce.
In 2015, Murphy was in a coma for a month after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
“I had to re-learn how to walk and talk,” he told My PG Now.
Murphy said his recovery was very slow, and far from easy.
“I worked a lot of jobs and I was fired from a lot of jobs for not having the ability to learn quick enough.”
He said he worked labour jobs as a part of that rehab, eventually moving to Alberta to work on the oil fields for six years.
In 2020 he was back in the hospital.
“I got diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder,” he said. “It deals with hallucinations and mania.”
This time spent in hospitals over the years, and interacting with nurses and professionals was what made him want to go back to school and work in the field as a nurse.
“They were just so professional with me and they gave me a lot of hope. It is a profession I really respect and want to be a part of,” Murphy said.
He knew it would not be easy – lasting effects from his brain injury, like short term memory loss, and medication he was on for his mental disorder were two daunting challenges he had to face when deciding to go back to school.
“I went into clinical thinking I wouldn’t be good enough at memorizing patients names and things like that.”
One of the ways he has helped re-train his brain is through volunteering with AWAC, where he helps feed some of Prince George’s homeless.
“Just learning people’s names, little things like that would help me build new connections in my brain. Little things like that got me to a point where I can succeed in nursing school,” he said.
Through one semester, Murphy has a 3.8 GPA.
“My best grade was an A- that I got in biology because that is all memorization. I am really proud.”
“I’m honoured to be one of his instructors. I’ve had the chance to see his growth over the
term, and Caleb overcomes any obstacle that happens to be in his path,” said Nancy Esopenko, one of Caleb’s instructors.
“I look forward to the nurse that he’s going to become, because I know he’s going to make a significant impact. I hope that one day when I need a nurse, Caleb will be there to care for me.”
Earlier this week, Murphy was one of 20 students across Canada to win the bursary.
“It tells my story in a way I didn’t think I would be telling it,” he said, saying he generally does not try to draw attention to it.
“It means I can really focus next semester and not have to worry about finances, and in the summertime I can stay and do what I love doing, work towards my career instead of going back to the oil rigs.”
“When I read the letters supporting Caleb’s nomination, a theme emerged of an individual striving to make a difference not only in his own life, but in the lives of others,” said Shelley Carter-Rose, CNC’s vice president of student affairs.
“In addition to being a high-achieving student in the nursing program, his personal and academic engagement has made an impact on his classmates, our faculty, and the community.”
“I want to give people hope,” he said. “If you struggle with mental health issues or brain injuries, [you] can keep going and do things you did not think you could do.”
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