As a child, Jennifer Kidane experienced a moment that would shape the rest of her life.

“I knew I wanted to go into healthcare since I was eight,” said Kidane, a student in the Physician Assistant program at the School of Medicine Columbia. “My father passed away when I was eight. We knew at the time that my father was sick, but we were unaware of what his condition was. The doctors couldn’t quite figure out what was going on or how to treat him, which led to him passing.”

Kidane recalls watching her grandmother, who was a nurse, performing CPR on her father before he passed in her childhood home. The experience sparked a passion that drives her to this day.

But the path wasn’t as clear as the goal.

“I had the idea of being a doctor, but I didn’t know what that required until I got to college,” she admitted. “I’m a first-generation college student, so I didn’t have anybody to mentor me on what that looks like, even just applying for colleges. I wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t have a pathway. I didn’t have the steps.”

The California native made the bold choice to cross the country and pursued her undergraduate degree at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. She discovered the first step of her healthcare journey during her sophomore year, when a guest speaker introduced her to a profession she had never heard of before: physician assistant.

“I was so intrigued,” she recalled. “I loved the fact that you still have autonomy and are advocating for your patients, but you’re also able to go into different specialties as you choose, and the flexibility of it. After that, I got her contact information and was on the path to PA ever since.”

Her journey to Benedict College itself had been unexpected. Growing up, she had her sights set on attending a historically black college, but initially did not plan on making the move to the Carolinas. When a scholarship to her first choice didn’t come through, another opportunity resurfaced. One she had initially overlooked.

“Benedict came to a local church in California for a college fair. They waived application fees, gave acceptances and scholarships on the spot. I got a full ride, but I still wasn’t trying to go,” Kidane said with a laugh.

It took some encouragement, and persistence, from her mother and best friend to reconsider. That decision would ultimately lead her to a new opportunity just down the road at the University of South Carolina. After graduating, she took a gap year in Greenville working as a nursing assistant while building clinical experience. She balanced night shifts with studying for the GRE and completing her applications.

There were moments of doubt along the way.

“I did get a little discouraged,” she said. “I felt like things weren’t coming together for me. But over time, the pieces began to fall into place, the clinical hours, shadowing opportunities at Prisma, mentorship. Everything was lining up. I had to fully surrender to God and trust His plan.”

When it came time to choose a graduate program, she approached the decision thoughtfully, ranking schools based on factors like environment, community, and fit.

The faculty and staff of The University of South Carolina's PA program quickly won her over during her admissions interview.

“I felt a twinge in my heart,” Kidane said. “I was like, I kind of like it.”

It wasn’t any single speech or presentation that stood out, it was the feeling.

“It was the warmth,” she said. “I could just feel the lightness in the air. It felt very welcoming. It felt like home.”

By the end of the day, her decision was made – and the feeling was mutual. The day after her interview, she got the call she was accepted.

Now, as she approaches graduation, she reflects on the journey with gratitude.

“My experience has been nothing but a blessing,” she said. “It’s a blessing that I’m even here, a blessing that I’m about to graduate.”

Her clinical year has solidified her confidence and identity as a future provider. From orthopedics to cardiology to psychiatry and surgery, she has gained hands-on experience and increasing autonomy. Looking ahead, she plans to remain in South Carolina, where she has a position lined up working in family medicine.

Now, nearly two decades after that defining moment as a child, she is stepping into the very role she once imagined, ready to be the difference-maker she once needed.

“I wanted to be a part of the change. And now, I am.”