Emma Harrison of Bristol, a single mother, has come a long way from mining low coal to becoming a practical nurse in the span of 30 years. "It was something that was meant to be," she said.
Her dream to become a nurse began to materialize when her employer, Dana Corporation, closed its manufacturing facility in Bristol in 2007. As a displaced worker, Emma qualified for financial assistance from the Trade Readjustment Act to train for a new career.
She enrolled in the 12-month Practical Nursing program at the Tennessee Technology Center in Elizabethton, which prepares graduates for the Tennessee Board of Nursing examination to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. On April 21, Emma graduated from the program in ceremonies held at Bristol Regional Medical Center.
Emma Harrison is pictured with her mother, Gladys Bostic of Honaker, Va., her son, Stacey Wampler and wife, Crystal, of Bristol, at the graduation ceremonies.
A graduate of Honaker High School, Emma began work as a coal miner for Island Creek Coal Company in Keen Mountain, Va. in 1975 to support her two sons. She later became a mine electrician. "Coal mining was challenging, rewarding, very dangerous and scary," she said.
Miners used a cage elevator to descend the 1,300-foot deep mine shaft and then transferred to a tram where they had to lie flat for the remainder of the five to six mile trip back inside the mine. Workers mined low coal while crawling on hands and knees during their eight-hour shift.
From 1980 to 1990, Emma worked at Reynolds Metals Ball Company in Bristol, Va., where she operated punch press machinery until "Replaced by a robot." In 1992, she joined Dana Corporation in Bristol, where she worked for 15 years until the plant moved to Mexico.
"I can't believe how much I have learned this past year. I am looking forward to embarking on a new career. It is an incredible opportunity. I am so thankful that I still have my health. It is a blessing to me. I finally made my dream come true," she said.
Applications for the next practical nursing classes offered in Elizabethton and at ETSU at Bristol and ETSU at Kingsport campuses are now available.