Student Stories

I did try to go to school for nursing when I was younger. But nursing requires a certain maturity level, and I think I can admit at this point in my life that I wasn't mature enough in my early 20s. I was from a small town; I didn't know anything. So, I explored the country and learned how to communicate with people.  

So, it's been a long journey to the program, and then the program itself is another journey: The nursing program is very intense. 

I was finishing up my prereqs for nursing at CCP before I went to Jefferson, and I was so excited, and Barbara McLaughlin (CCP Department Head, Nursing) and I were talking, and she encouraged me to apply to CCP’s program, because a lot of people who may go to Drexel or Jefferson end up having to come back because they find that they can't afford it.  

So, I applied to CCP's nursing program. I got into the program, and I am very thankful I came. The instructors have been amazing. They maintain their momentum and dedication towards helping all the students succeed to be their best.  

These people have amazing qualifications, PhDs, MDs, but they want to relate to you on a personal level and help you through it. It can be intimidating when you're trying to learn as a student, and this stuff is hard, so when they can meet you at your level and understand, it helps the journey. 

I'm thankful I met Barbara McLaughlin when I did, because if I hadn't gone that route and really listened to her, I wouldn't be where I am right now, and I'm going to my second year of nursing, and I'm going to graduate in May. 

I love the design of the program. When we do our clinicals, we're at a certain site for weeks. So, from what I've heard from other schools, they may be at a site for, like, one or two weeks, but when you're there for an entire semester, or like half a semester, you get the chance to build a rapport with the nurses, and the people, the staff at the hospital, and to be honest, this is a career maker for me. In my clinical during the spring, I learned that people are watching you, even if you're not watching them, and they found out that I needed a job. So, I was able to get a job at Einstein, because of my clinical with CCP, because the nurse manager on the floor that I was doing my clinical with found that I needed a job, and she helped me work through that, and get that. So, I have my CCP clinical to thank for that job.  

And ultimately I am going to go down the oncology route as a nurse. I had the idea of working in oncology when I first started going back to school for nursing. Cancer can be devastating, so no matter who it hits, there's going to be times where the sky is really gray, and I think that I have the stamina and motivation to try and help people through these gray skies, and maybe give them a little bit of sunshine, even for a day, because I believe the mind is a powerful thing, and if you sit there and dwell in all this negativeness, you need someone to help pull you out and pull you through if you're going to overcome these big challenges, and I would really like the opportunity to be there and help people through.   

I want to talk about the opportunities that CCP has given me. Here in Philadelphia, we have Temple, Penn, Jefferson, and Drexel. There's a lot of competition for all these students. CCP is not “just a community college.” They are pushing and building people because the competition is stiff, strong, and unaffordable.  

And being able to be at CCP, having the opportunity to go through this route of making connections in the city, no matter if it's north, east, west, or south. Through the support and encouragement from the teachers, CCP has helped develop me and put me in situations where I can explore my ideas of where to go. They'll say, “Well, if you need a reference, let's talk. I'll write you a reference, you're going to need them.” So, I have my jobs because of my references, and my references are my teachers.   

I am thankful for CCP because they've helped me figure out how to navigate this. I have gotten a couple of scholarships, and those scholarships go a long way.  And I don't feel like it's just me. I would like to see more people take advantage of what CCP can offer and really get to know what's out there and what they can do to see their own potential.