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Lexington sophomore Victoria Poole is pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse at Kentucky State University (KSU).

Poole said she has wanted to become a nurse since elementary school and she’s focused on achieving that dream at KSU.

She first learned about Kentucky State through a program she attended before college.

“I was part of a program that Dr. Charlene Walker was running,” she said. “I went here for about a week, and we stayed at Combs Hall to get that college kind of feel before coming here.”

Despite her experience with Dr. Walker’s program, she didn’t know she was previewing her future University.

“I didn’t realize this was where I was going to be in a couple of years,” she said. “I was here, and I enjoyed it.”

Upon reflecting on her first year of college, she admits she was nervous at first.

“When I first came, I was very scared,” she said. “I was worried about how I was going to do my freshman year.”

Would she do poorly in her classes? Would she adapt to her new surroundings? Luckily, the intelligent and focused Poole persisted.

“I had a great time,” she said. “I love this University. It’s very family oriented. The teachers are just wonderful. They care about you.”

She also enjoyed the community aspect of living on campus and making new friends.

After a successful first year, Poole said she’s focused on taking the right classes and possibly getting involved in extracurricular activities.

“I was iffy about getting involved my freshman year because I know how overwhelming it can get,” she said. “I might still stay a little focused on studies more than being involved, but I’ll see how I feel.”

Poole, who was the inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship winner in 2016, offered advice to her peers that may be entering KSU as freshmen next year.

“When you’re a freshman, start off small,” she said. “Don’t get involved in so much to the point where you can’t handle it. Just focus on the studies a little bit and then gradually join the organizations and stuff like that when you feel like you can balance that.”

Poole also reflected on what it means to be a Thorobred.

“You’re determined for success,” she said. “You want to obtain success. You never settle for less. You never let anybody tell you that you can’t do something, or that you’re not smart enough to do this or that. That’s a Thorobred to me.”

Poole said she might take a course at KSU or get a job related to her field this summer, but for now, she’s happy to have thrived during her first year in college.