Luray resident Laila Hall has traded in her spatula for a stethoscope. She is in her first year as a Registered Nursing student at Laurel Ridge Community College.
While in high school in Virginia Beach, Hall enrolled in a culinary vocational program. She was just 15 when she started working as a cook.
“I’ve always been interested in both healthcare and cooking,” said Hall. “When I was in the culinary program, I was also an athletic trainer at the school.”
She was accepted to two culinary schools and Virginia Tech, and opted to go to Tech and study Nutrition.
“But, a major university was just a lot for me to pay for and work at the same time and attend full-time school,” Hall said.
She then decided to focus on cooking, and a couple of years ago moved to her grandparents’ home in Page County to accept a chef residency in Sperryville. However, the long hours, including always working weekends, led to burnout, and Hall enrolled in online classes at Laurel Ridge for the spring 2026 semester.
Over the summer, she was in the first cohort of Certified Nurse Aide students at the Luray-Page County Center.
“I liked that it was very hands on,” Hall said. “We had labs every day. With the small class size, it was all very personal. It was nice that I was able to do it all over the summer before nursing school started. I felt like the CNA program gave me a great background. [Instructor Terry] Ms. Shanks was wonderful. She took great care of us.
“I was nervous going into nursing school – that it had been so long since I had done anything healthcare related. When I found out they had brought the CNA program to Page County, I thought, oh, I’ve got to go.”
“I like the assessments,” Hall said. “It’s pretty hands on. We have lecture and then lab right after, so we learn about it and then we go do it.”
Hall said she is paying for her tuition with the help of a Pell grant and with her father’s military benefits.
Her favorite class this semester is Health Promotion.
“I like the assessments,” Hall said. “It’s pretty hands on. We have lecture and then lab right after, so we learn about it and then we go do it. I’m interested in pediatrics, but also geriatrics. I have a soft spot for the elderly. I live with my grandparents, and my great-grandparents are our next-door neighbors.”
Hall’s grandmother is a retired nurse and her grandfather is a practicing physician.
“They kind of sparked my interest again,” she said. “They always encouraged me to continue in healthcare, but they also love to cook. They would’ve been happy either way.”