An interest in medicine has long been at the core of Rebekah Demetrius’s ’26 academic goals. As a little girl, she knew she wanted to help deliver babies; in middle school, she attended a magnet institution that allowed her to begin a pre-med track, and now she’ll walk the stage at Kansas Wesleyan’s 2026 Commencement and earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.
When Demetrius came to KWU, the Miami, Fla., native had never so much as set foot in Salina.
“I just had a feeling I’d really enjoy it here and that this was the path I’m supposed to be on,” she said.
That path began earlier for her than most. Her first foray into pre-med studies actually began in middle school, when she went to a magnet school in Fort Lauderdale that offered a more focused curriculum for students interested in medicine and/or law.
By the time she was in high school, she’d already taken many of the requisite science and health classes for her grade level and was placed into healthcare classes by her sophomore year. This way, she became a certified medical assistant.
While her ultimate goal is to become a doctor, working as a nurse is her first stop along the way.
“I want to spend as much time as I can with my patients,” she said. “I will get the experience of bedside care in, and then I’ll go back to school and get my medical doctorate.”
After graduation, Demetrius plans to apply to be a labor and delivery nurse at The University of Oklahoma and transition directly into OU’s medical school in a few years.
As she’s completed her clinicals, her passion for working with mothers and their babies has remained the same.
“I want to be the better experience for mothers going through labor,” she said, referencing challenges some women face from their healthcare teams during their labor and delivery experiences.
“I loved my rotation last semester in labor and delivery and NICU,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in clinicals before. Even my preceptor said, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile so much.’”
Despite a challenging class schedule and clinicals, Demetrius found a variety of ways to get involved on and off campus and during her time at KWU.
She was a campus ambassador, a resident assistant and a media work study student for football. She also worked at Chick-fil-A and is currently employed at Chipotle.
“I had to get really good at time management,” she said. “But they are very understanding here in the community when it comes to working with students.”
In addition to support from the community and faculty, she had a host family for her entire duration on campus, who helped her navigate being far from home. They’ve spent some holidays together, had family dinners, and they’ve turned out to campus events to support her. They’ll meet her family for the first time at Commencement.
“I didn’t think with the complete contrast in cultures between Miami and Salina, I’d find many people who were like me or had the experiences I’ve had,” she said. “But I’ve made a lot of friends here, and the support system here is really good. They won’t let you give up.”
Story by Skylar Nelson ’21
