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SHE WAS APPOINTED TO THE VERMONT SUPREME COURT IN 2011 AND SERVED FOR 10 YEARS. MANY PEOPLE FORM LIFE-LONG RELATIONSHIPS DURING THEIR COLLEGE YEARS. BUT THE CONNECTION FOR TWO SUNY PLATTSBURGH NURSING STUDENTS…GOES FAR BEYOND CAMPUS. NBC5’S BENNY NEZAJ INTRODUCES US TO THE WOMEN WHO ARE TRULY MAKING THEIR STUDIES A FAMILY AFFAIR. (áááVOááá) WE’VE ALL HEARD THE SAYING – LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER. BUT FOR REBECCAH RYAN AND HER DAUGHTER KAYLYNN OF SCHAGHTICOKE, NEW YORK – THEY MEAN IT LITERALLY…. (áááSOTááá) REBECCAH RYAN NURSING STUDENT, SUNY PLATTSBURGH 13;14;46;19 – 13;14;49;29 <“IT’S NICE TO HAVE MORE NURSES IN THE FAMILY.”> (áááVOááá) REBECCAH AND KAYLYNN ARE BOTH ENROLLED IN SUNY PLATTSBURGH’S NURSING PROGRAM. REBECCAH ALREADY HAS EXPERIENCE IN NURSING – earning HER ASSOCIATES degree more than A DECADE AGO TO BECOME AN RN BUT the RECENT DEATH OF HER PARENTS INSPIRED HER TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL (áááSOTááá) REBECCAH RYAN/ NURSING STUDENT, SUNY PLATTSBURGH 13;13;03;07 – 13;13;11;03 <“IT JUST KIND OF FELT LIKE THE TIMING WAS RIGHT. I WAS LIKE ‘YOU KNOW WHAT, THEY WOULD BE PROUD RIGHT. I WAS LIKE ‘YOU KAYLYNN RYAN/ NURSING INSPIRED BY MOM TAKING CARE OF HER PARENTS I HAD HELPED TAKE CARE OF THEM, AS WELL, AND I JUST WANTED TO DO WHAT SHE DOES. AND I’M REALLY EXCITED TO KEEP GOING FORWARD WITH THAT.”> (áááVOááá) KAYLNN TAKES CLASSES IN PERSON in Plattsburgh WHILE REBECCAH’S LEARNS ONLINE BACK IN THE CAPITAL REGION… SO, WHILE BOTH ARE IN THE SAME PROGRAM, THEY’RE EDUCATIONAL PATHS ARE VERY DIFFERENT… (áááSOTááá) REBECCAH RYAN NURSING STUDENT, SUNY PLATTSBURGH 13;15;05;14 – 13;15;25;17 <“SOME OF THE CLASSES I’M TAKING NOW SHE HAS ALREADY TAKEN AND SOME OF THE CLASSES I JUST TOOK, SHE’S NOW TAKING. SO WE KIND OF GO BACK AND FORTH A LITTLE BIT BUT IT’S NOT LIKE WE CAN EVEN SHARE SOME OF THE SAME BOOKS OR ANYTHING, THEY’RE DIFFERENT BOOKS.”> (áááVOááá) The pair is on track to graduate in May 2025 – and plan to walk across THE STAGE TOGETHER. (áááSOTááá) KAYLYNN RYAN STUDENT, SUNY PLATTSBURGH 13;18;21;07 – 13;18;35;07 <“I’M VERY EXCITED FOR IT.” REBECCAH RYAN NURSING STUDENT, SUNY PLATTSBURGH “SHE SAYS SHE IS NOW.” KAYLYNN RYAN NURSING STUDENT, SUNY PLATTSBURGH “I DID JOKE THAT SHE ON RAINING ON MY PARADE AT FIRST. BUT I THINK IT WILL BE A VERY SPECIAL MOMENT.”> (áááVOááá) Two generations – steppi

Mother and daughter duo from Rensselaer County pursue nursing degrees together at SUNY Plattsburgh

Rebeccah and Kaylynn Ryan are set to graduate in May 2025 and have plans to walk across the stage together

Rebeccah Ryan and her daughter Kaylynn of Schaghticoke, New York, are rewriting the expression “like mother, like daughter” in their own unique way as they pursue nursing degrees together at SUNY Plattsburgh, embodying the saying quite literally.Rebeccah and Kaylynn are both enrolled in SUNY Plattsburgh’s nursing program, a decision fueled by their shared passion for health care and caregiving. While Rebeccah comes with her own nursing experience, having earned her associate degree over a decade ago to become an RN, the loss of her parents encouraged her to return back to the classroom. Rebeccah said, “It just kind of felt like the timing was right. I was like, ‘you know what, they would be proud of me, they would want me to do this,’ so I did.” Inspired by her mother’s dedication and resilience, Kaylynn chose to follow suit, drawn to the noble profession of nursing. “I was really inspired by mom taking care of her parents. I had helped take care of them, as well, and I just wanted to do what she does. And I’m really excited to keep going forward with that,” Kaylynn said.Despite sharing the same academic program, the duo’s educational paths diverge, with Kaylynn attending classes in person in Plattsburgh while Rebeccah learns online from the Capital Region. This separation means they often find themselves in different stages of the curriculum, a fact Rebeccah humorously acknowledged.”Some of the classes I’m taking now she has already taken, and some of the classes I just took, she’s now taking,” she said. “So, we kind of go back and forth a little bit, but it’s not like we can even share some of the same books or anything. They’re different books.”Looking toward the future, both Rebeccah and Kaylynn are on track to graduate at the same time, a momentous occasion they plan to celebrate together by walking across the stage at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony on May 17, 2025. Despite initial jokes about “raining on each other’s parade,” the duo anticipates the ceremony to be a profoundly special moment, marking the culmination of their shared academic journey and the beginning of their respective careers in nursing.

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. —

Rebeccah and Kaylynn are both enrolled in SUNY Plattsburgh’s nursing program, a decision fueled by their shared passion for health care and caregiving. While Rebeccah comes with her own nursing experience, having earned her associate degree over a decade ago to become an RN, the loss of her parents encouraged her to return back to the classroom.

Rebeccah said, “It just kind of felt like the timing was right. I was like, ‘you know what, they would be proud of me, they would want me to do this,’ so I did.”

Inspired by her mother’s dedication and resilience, Kaylynn chose to follow suit, drawn to the noble profession of nursing.

“I was really inspired by mom taking care of her parents. I had helped take care of them, as well, and I just wanted to do what she does. And I’m really excited to keep going forward with that,” Kaylynn said.

Despite sharing the same academic program, the duo’s educational paths diverge, with Kaylynn attending classes in person in Plattsburgh while Rebeccah learns online from the Capital Region.

This separation means they often find themselves in different stages of the curriculum, a fact Rebeccah humorously acknowledged.

“Some of the classes I’m taking now she has already taken, and some of the classes I just took, she’s now taking,” she said. “So, we kind of go back and forth a little bit, but it’s not like we can even share some of the same books or anything. They’re different books.”

Looking toward the future, both Rebeccah and Kaylynn are on track to graduate at the same time, a momentous occasion they plan to celebrate together by walking across the stage at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony on May 17, 2025.

Despite initial jokes about “raining on each other’s parade,” the duo anticipates the ceremony to be a profoundly special moment, marking the culmination of their shared academic journey and the beginning of their respective careers in nursing.