Sarah Williams has overcome so many trials to get to where she is today.
Ever since she was three years old, Sarah has been working to overcome obstacles. Her mother suffered from drug addiction and developed schizophrenia due to her drug use. This put Sarah and her siblings in foster care. Her childhood was anything but easy. And challenges kept coming her way.
Sarah didn’t finish high school, got married, and had a baby all at a young age. Her baby was born with heart problems and spent five months in the hospital.
“I was there all the time, and I was only a kid myself,” she remembered. She recalled the nurses telling her that she asked great questions and took good care of her daughter. They thought she seemed like a great caretaker, and encouraged her to become a nurse.
“At that moment I was like, ‘Wow, I guess I could be a nurse.’ And I decided to go back to school,” she said.
Sarah earned her RN license and started working as a nurse. But she knew she could do more. She knew she wanted more. She was talking to some colleagues about pursuing a bachelor’s degree when someone told her about their experience with Western Governors University.
Sarah liked what she heard, so she decided to reach out and start asking questions. She learned how affordable the program was and how flexible it would be with her schedule, and she knew it was the perfect fit for her.
Sarah was able to earn her bachelor’s degree while continuing to work 12-hour shifts at the hospital. Because of WGU’s competency-based education model, she was able to progress through courses as soon as she could show mastery of the material. She was also able to work on her courses whenever it was convenient for her, because there are no required login times. This meant that her experience as a nurse helped her go through courses even faster. And Sarah was able to start seeing benefits from her BSN degree as soon as she graduated.
“I’ve already reaped a lot of rewards. I’ve gotten an increase in pay, and I also teach LPN clinicals now,” she said.
Beyond a higher salary, Sarah also gained valuable experience and knowledge from her BSN.
“My community health classes from WGU have opened my eyes to what is going on around me in my community, so I can help better serve the underserved populations in my community,” she added.
Sarah has been able to overcome every obstacle that has come her way, creating a future for herself that is focused on helping others overcome their own obstacles.
“I really want to leave a mark in healthcare,” she said with a smile. “I really want to help people. I think that’s just kind of my ambition.”
