What began as an interest in caring for others turned into Karsten Kadylak’s life direction after his grandmother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Looking back, he remembers signs and symptoms that did not feel obvious at the time but now carry deeper meaning.

“Her death is what solidified me wanting to care for others for the rest of my life,” Karsten said.

From that point on, he knew he wanted to become the kind of nurse who listens, advocates and makes sure patients are not brushed aside.

That purpose found a home in PennWest’s Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN). Karsten started on the Venango campus, where the close-knit environment helped make a demanding path feel possible. In anatomy and physiology, he was part of a class of about 15 students – an experience that gave him more personalized attention, closer faculty support and stronger connections with classmates. He remembers professors who were not just available, but deeply invested.

He has given back in that same spirit by Tutoring fellow students in nursing and anatomy, an experience that reflects both his academic excellence and his willingness to help others succeed. Along the way, he has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA, a reflection of both his discipline and his commitment to mastering the work. One professor, he said, would stay hours after class just to help students prepare for exams. That kind of support helped turn challenge into confidence.

As Karsten progressed from prerequisites into core nursing courses at Clarion, the pace intensified. Fundamentals led to clinicals, then medications, weekly quizzes and more advanced coursework in med-surg, oncology, cardiac, respiratory and renal nursing. Through it all, he saw himself changing.

“It is truly amazing to go from just a baby to critically thinking like a nurse,” he said.

That transformation did not happen alone. He credits faculty, clinical instructors, staff and classmates for helping students grow together, sometimes, as he put it, by “trauma bonding” through the hard parts.

Now preparing for graduation and the NCLEX, Karsten is stepping into a future in critical care with a strong foundation in resilience, teamwork and patient-centered learning. He knows nursing is demanding, but he also knows why it matters.

“You’re an educator, you’re a learner, you’re a listener, you’re an advocate,” he said.

That is what nursing means to him: not just one role, but a career built on knowledge, compassion and constant growth.

At PennWest, Karsten found more than a program. He found the people, support and real-world preparation that helped turn loss into purpose, and purpose into a calling.