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Posted: 10:38 PM May 11, 2007
Katrina Graduate
Saxon Wolf was in the middle of nursing school when she was forced to flee Gulfport, Mississippi. Friday, she walked across the stage with a diploma from Chippewa Valley Technical College
Reporter: Mary Rinzel Email Address: mary.rinzel@weau.com |
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This month, thousands of students will walk away from campuses with diplomas in hand and memories of all-nighters and cram sessions. They all worked hard, but not many can say they overcame a hurricane.
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We talked to one who did just that: Saxon Wolf was in the middle of nursing school when she was forced to flee Gulfport, Mississippi. Friday, she walked across the stage with a diploma from Chippewa Valley Technical College.
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It was almost two years ago that Hurricane Katrina slammed into the southern United States, killing hundreds and sending thousands scrambling for a new place to live.
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"It was very surreal. It was a nightmare,” says Wolf. “We were able to save the kitchen table and some of the kids’ toys, but that’s about it."
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Wolf and her husband packed up their two little girls and moved in with her parents in Eau Claire. Within a couple weeks, her husband was deployed with the U.S. Navy and Saxon was enrolled at CVTC.
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"I was in the nursing program when the hurricane happened and wasn't sure if I could go back,” Wolf says. "I talked with CVTC and they graciously let me in with just my word no transcripts or anything."
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"She was a great contribution to the classroom,” says Nursing Instructor Kim Ernstmeyer. “She coped fantastically; a lot of people that would’ve set them back a long time."
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Friday afternoon, Saxon accepted her nursing pin, spent time with her two daughters, then sat with her classmates at graduation—knowing that she had to handle a lot more in the past couple years than most people will in a lifetime.
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"We're proud of her. It was tough being apart for a year and a half. It’ll be great to have her come home," says Trevor Wolf, Saxon’s husband.
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"I think it's the biggest triumph to go through everything, including school and thinking this day may never come,” says Wolf. “Knowing what I had to go through and keeping my head in the books was hard."
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Next week, a day will come that Saxon never doubted.
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"I love it down there. I love the community."
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She and her family are headed back home to Gulfport, diploma in hand, and a future, much more clear.
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