It seems to Helen O'Connor, 17, of Albrightsville, that she's been studying all her life to become a nurse.

"I have a handicapped brother and sister at home, so I grew up in hospitals with them, standing next to the nurses, seeing what they do. That inspired me to move on into the nursing field," she said.Her sister Jean is 22, and her brother James is 19."They both have myotonic dystrophy, which is a form of muscular dystrophy," she said. "Growing up, they had a lot of digestive problems and were always in the hospital for surgeries and procedures."At home, she watched how her parents cared for her brother and sister, and the struggles they went through.Helen started at Carbon Career and Technical Institute as a sophomore, enrolling in the health medical/nursing program.She's been accepted at Wilkes University, where she'll study to become a registered nurse. Once she's accomplished that, she plans to go on to earn a master's degree in mental health.While she looks forward to learning about the medical aspect of nursing care, she is eager to put into practice the emotional support that is so needed by people journeying through an illness."I want people to know there is always someone there who cares," she said. "When we do our clinical experiences, we see that people think nurses are just there to do things that hurt them, and that they don't have a sympathetic side. I want to show them there's more to us than just making you better physically."Helen won the Dr. George P. Thomas Memorial Scholarship; Jim Thorpe Rotary Club award; the Outstanding Senior in Health/Medical award. She placed on the advanced level in Health/Medical in the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute exams.