{"id":1740,"date":"2026-04-27T14:42:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T14:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/?p=1740"},"modified":"2026-04-27T14:42:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T14:42:42","slug":"braden-cotton-nursing-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/2026\/04\/27\/braden-cotton-nursing-success\/","title":{"rendered":"There\u2019s Always Sun in the Morning"},"content":{"rendered":"
For Braden Cotton, a sophomore in Marshall University\u2019s Nursing ASN program, college has never been just about classes. It\u2019s been about perseverance, purpose and showing up even when life feels overwhelming.<\/p>\n

Before coming to Marshall, Braden admits he wasn\u2019t always the strongest student. But once he arrived, something changed.<\/p>\n

\n\tI was able to reach my full potential and develop a better future for myself.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Braden Cotton<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\u201cI was able to reach my full potential and develop a better future for myself,\u201d he said. \u201cThat wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the services and staff at Marshall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Braden is deeply involved across campus by serving as vice president of the National Marrow Donor Program and director of internal operations for Dance Thunder, Marshall\u2019s 12-hour dance marathon supporting children with cancer. He\u2019s excelling academically, building community and shaping a future rooted in care for others. But behind that success is a story of resilience.<\/p>\n

While still in high school, Braden\u2019s now fianc\u00e9e was diagnosed with lymphoma. When it came time to decide what came next, they made the difficult choice for Braden to begin his journey at Marshall while she continued treatment. What followed was one of the most challenging periods of his life.<\/p>\n

As he began the St. Mary\u2019s School of Nursing program, his fianc\u00e9e was undergoing a stem cell transplant in Philadelphia. During the week, Braden stayed in Huntington, focused on his coursework and responsibilities. On weekends, he made a 16-hour round trip just to be by her side. Balancing academics, leadership roles and the emotional weight of a loved one\u2019s illness pushed him to his limits.<\/p>\n

Through it all, support made the difference\u2014friends, faculty and mentors who showed up when he needed it most. One of those individuals was Chase Stewart, was Dance Thunder faculty advisor and assistant director of Fraternity & Sorority Life,\u00a0who became a steady source of encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s someone I can go to with anything,\u201d Braden said. \u201cHe\u2019s been such a mentor and a blessing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe moment I got involved and joined organizations, that\u2019s when everything changed.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Braden Cotton<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Despite everything, Braden never stepped away from his goals. Instead, he leaned in by getting involved, building connections and finding purpose in the very experiences that tested him. It was through that involvement that Marshall truly became home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment I got involved and joined organizations, that\u2019s when everything changed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Today, Braden continues to give back through leadership and service, helping raise funds and awareness for children battling cancer, an experience that hits especially close to home.<\/p>\n

His perspective on college is clear: it\u2019s not just about the typical expectations\u2014it\u2019s about growth, grit and building something meaningful.<\/p>\n

If his journey were a movie, he already knows the title: \u201cThere\u2019s Always Sun in the Morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even in the hardest moments, Braden believes there is always the possibility of a better day, and that those days, strung together, can carry you through anything.<\/p>\n

His message to other students is simple but powerful: \u201cBe proud of yourself for getting here. Your story is your own. Use the tools around you, build relationships and create the future you want to live in. If I can do it, you can do it.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Braden Cotton, a sophomore in Marshall University\u2019s Nursing ASN program, college has never been just about classes. It\u2019s been about perseverance, purpose and showing up even when life feels overwhelming. Before coming to Marshall, Braden admits he wasn\u2019t always the strongest student. But once he arrived, something changed. \u201cI was able to reach my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moments"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1740"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1776,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740\/revisions\/1776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}