HCTC grad is nurse and comedian

Becky Alexander is pursuing two of her passions in life nursing and comedy. When I was 4 or 5 years old, I started impersonating Julia Child. By the time I was in middle school, I had a few teachers that pulled me out into the hallway so that I could impersonate other teachers, she said.

She loves to make people laugh which prompted her to perform at Comedy Off Broadway, Mac's Karaoke, Chase Tap Room, all in Lexington; Rohs Opera House in Cynthiana; Comedy Caravan in Louisville; and Max's Place in Bloomington, Indiana.

Ms. Alexander graduated from Hazard Community and Technical College with an associate degree and in July 2005, she began at Saint Joseph Hospital-Main in Lexington. She currently works in the cardiac cath lab.
Her excellence as a nurse was recognized when she was presented with the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses in 2010. In September, she was the lone circulating nurse in a Mitraclip Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair procedure--the first ever to be done in the state of Kentucky. She is enhancing her professional career with more education. She is currently enrolled in an RN-MSN bridge program through Walden University in their Family Nurse Practitioner Program.

I didn't think I'd ever go to college. But my aunt, Margie Hatton who lives in Wolfe County, took me to the Lees College Campus and showed me around. It was close to my family and seemed like a good fit for me, Ms. Alexander said.

During my time at HCTC, I felt like I was able to accomplish goals I might have not achieved in any other setting. The faculty and staff knew me by name and demonstrated a genuine interest in me as a student--they wanted me to be successful. Mary Jo Rudd once walked to the dorm to find out why I had missed her Public Speaking class twice in a row. I never forgot that. Later, as a student in the nursing program on the Hazard Campus, I experienced what I believe to be the finest instructors in the state of Kentucky. They not only taught us about ethics, responsibility, compassion, and critical thinking, they demonstrated it both in the classroom and in practice. They helped to instill in me the importance of kindness, the integrity of the profession, and the humility of caring for another person, she stated.

She is writing a book about the missteps and misgivings of a jaded 30-something single woman.

I love my job as a nurse, but I'm pursuing more opportunities with performing and writing comedy. I guess I'm lucky enough to have two big passions in my life.

The public will have a chance to share some laughs with this nurse and comedian. Alexander will be coming to Hazard to perform at Coal River Grille on Saturday, October 12 at 9 p.m.