I chose the technical route for nursing for several reasons. The first being it allowed me to still be present with my toddler. I am a single mother who wanted to better myself so that I could provide a better life for my son. With that being said, in today’s society it is not easy to work and go to school and also provide for your family. I fall into the category that I make “too much” to get assistance but barely making ends meet. I am grateful for the financial aid I received, but it still not enough to cover the overall costs. Technical college has allowed me to work on my degree and that end goal of bettering myself, but in a shorter timeframe with a better schedule. Technical college has allowed me to go to school two days a week and work the other 5. I will have my LPN degree complete in 13 months vs two years at a community college and those programs are 4 days per week. I personally feel that I have a close relationship with all my instructors and we are valued vs a number enrolled at their school. It is personable and offers more one on one time. It gives students the opportunity to hold a degree/certification that employers like to see but without the traditional college experience. I have enjoyed and appreciated my experiences here at a technical college after also experiencing a community college and not succeeding there. I started out in an associates RN program through a community college and failed out of the program. I felt like I was not able to communicate and get the help I needed at that school. I was scared to return back to school and “fail again” but the technical college has given me another chance and been life changing for me and my son. I am so close to fulfilling my dream of being a nurse thanks to a technical college program. This will change my life and provide so many opportunities for my family. I have tried to promote and educate peers and others about technical colleges and programs and what they offer. I do not feel that people have an understanding or see it as the easy way out which is not the case at all. At the end of the day, I will sit for the same state board exams coming from a technical college that someone from a university will sit and take.

Stay humble. This is a life lesson I pray my son always remembers. I am a single mother to a four year old. I am currently in school full time for nursing while also working full time. Several people told me I was crazy, it wasn’t a good time, I would miss out on the best years, etc. All those things very well may be true, but if not now then when? Nursing school in general is hard. Adding the single mom role who works full time makes it even harder. Motherhood does not stop just because you have a test the next day or a skills check off that determines if you pass or fail the whole class. They do not take into consideration that your child is sick and needed to be hospitalized for RSV and you are the only parent to be there and care for that child. The bills do not stop flowing in. Life does not stop. But as a mother, you find a way. You work harder, stay up later, etc. This is not easy, but I believe it will be worth it. My hope is that Liam is able to look back on the late nights of mommy studying or not being as present as I would like to be and see it was because I was determined to better life for the both of us, but remain humble while doing it. I want him to see that your age or situation does not define you. You don’t have to remain where you are or settle. Change is scary, but the end result will be so worth it. Going back to school at a later time in life with a young child is not ideal, but it is possible. I want to show Liam that no matter what obstacles we face in life, if we are determined and willing to work hard, it is still possible to achieve goals we want for ourselves. Nothing in life is easy. Things will not just be handed to us and they will not always go the way we want them to, but do not let that stray you away. Work hard, remain humble, and keep pushing through. If you are not happy with where you are in life, work towards doing something to change your situation and finding happiness there. There is always room for improvement and bettering ourselves. Do not settle. Remain humble. Set a goal and do not stop until you get there, even if it takes longer than the traditional path.