Balancing nursing school and caring for her mother with dementia around the clock, 34-year-old Samantha Kortenhoeven perseveres and longs for a better road ahead.

Despite the difficult relationship with her mother and healing from past traumas, Samantha is determined to graduate and build a future for herself.

Caption: Samantha Kortenhoeven smokes a cigarette in her car before her practicum night shift on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in the Frankfort Regional Medical Center parking lot in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The practicum was a requirement for her nursing degree that she was pursuing at Bluegrass Community & Technical College.