They could have built their careers anywhere. Instead, Albert Yongbang ’00 and Antoinette Yongbang ’00 chose to stay in Lexington, Kentucky, a place where their nursing degrees became more than an occupation, but rather a shared mission to make a great difference.
Everything started at Berea College. When Albert applied for college, things were complicated for him in Cameroon. “Berea, in that sense, saved my family because it afforded me the opportunity to come
here and pursue an education,” Albert said.
But more importantly, Berea helped him find his passion for nursing, which he still pursues today. “I’ve helped educate other budding nurses, people who are interested in getting into nursing,” he added. “I feel like with that exposure, I’ve been able to actually impact people’s lives with what I do.”
For Antoinette, Berea also opened doors, not only in her major but also culturally. She hadn’t explored many other cultures outside her home community of Birmingham, Alabama. “I feel like going to Berea gave me a worldview, but it also made me just aware,” she said. “I go to lunch, and I’m eating with somebody from Nigeria. I married somebody from Cameroon. I just think it gave me this worldview that has helped me throughout my life, and just having an open and warm and accepting heart as far as nursing.”
This love and warmth are woven into the way the Yongbangs help their community.
Antoinette is a nurse at UK Healthcare and is a clinical documentation specialist at the hospital. With the tools Berea gave him, Albert is now working as a certified registered nurse anesthetist at UK Healthcare. But his job does not involve only a medical setting; he also serves as a mentor in the Observation and Learning Experience (OLE) program, where he educates other young nurses and students who are trying to become anesthesia providers.
The impact he has made is evident. He sometimes gets calls from those who have shadowed him expressing how those interactions have changed their life and career trajectory. “Those little stories really make me realize that whatever we do makes a difference,” he said.
The Yongbangs also participate in the Emerson Legacy Endowment, Inc., which supports low-income and disabled seniors in Central Kentucky. The couple are members of Lexington’s Unitarian Universalist Church, where a group of members pooled their money and opened the housing development, for which Antoinette serves as vice president.
Antoinette’s current plans for the nonprofit involve deep engagement with the community. After the sale of the building, the group has transitioned to managing a legacy fund from the proceeds of the sale. The mission of Emerson Legacy Endowment, Inc. is to improve the quality of life for low-income or disabled seniors in Central Kentucky by supporting nonprofit organizations that provide essential services; enhance independence; and foster dignity, security and connection in later life. “All of these things we are doing to help build the community. I really enjoy being on this committee. It has given me a chance to give back,” Antoinette said.
The Emerson Center’s work is deeply grounded in serving Appalachian communities and helping meet many of the challenges facing families in the region. The Center focuses on issues such as limited access to healthcare, limited knowledge about issues that affect health and financial constraints. “I do my best to educate as much as I can, and if I have to redirect them to social workers or whoever can give them information that will make their lives better, then I do that,” Antoinette explained. “Education is the biggest thing.”
I feel like going to Berea gave me a worldview, but it also made me just aware.
Antoinette Yongbang ’00
The couple’s community contributions have also impacted their own children. “We have three boys, and we try to be good examples by working hard and showing them that determination pays off,” Antoinette said. “We both came from very humble beginnings, but it doesn’t have to stay there.
“Kindness,” she continues, speaking about characteristics they try to instill. “Being kind to yourself and to others. Something as simple as smiling at someone can make
a difference.”
“You don’t do things expecting something in return,” Albert added. “You just do it because it’s what makes the world go around. Life is short, so we try to do the best we can while we’re here.”
