Success Stories

Southwestern Community College Graduates 11 Nursing Associate Degrees Through WIA

Southwestern Community College WIA

From Left, Top row: Amber Lindberg (ADULT), Leah Johnson (ADULT). Second row: Ashley “Susie” Schofield (ADULT), Kara Seaman (ADULT). Third row: Kelle Evans (DW), Shirley Mathis (DW), Amanda Pack (ADULT), Kayti Sevigny (ADULT). Fourth row: Alisha Seaman (ADULT), Nichole Hill (ADULT), Elizabeth Goodrick (ADULT)

The WIA Case Managers in the Jackson, Macon and Swain county NCWorks Career Centers were excited to learn that they had as a group worked to assist what would be the largest completion of WIA successful graduates in a single class at Southwestern Community College.  A total of eleven nurses received their Nursing Associate Degrees during the Southwestern Community College spring commencement ceremony in May 2015. An announcement at their Pinning Ceremony revealed that the majority of these students already have job offers, even before sitting for the NC Board of Nursing Exam, which is also another first for the program.

The combined GPA of these nursing students was 3.0. They faced various challenges during their training to include surgeries, childbirth, single parenting and the mastering of the contents of a 48” stack of textbooks. These students participated in hospital clinical training programs throughout several counties in western North Carolina, allowing them to receive first-hand experience and knowledge which led to such a high pre-employment offering.

“WIA has been a tremendous help to me and my family. We survived financially while I was in nursing school in large part because WIA paid for nearly everything I needed that was school related; uniforms, books, tuition, shoes, study aids, review programs, fees for my licensure testing and much more! There were weeks I wouldn’t have had gas to get to and from clinicals but WIA saved the day! I have finally achieved my lifelong dream of becoming a nurse and I owe a huge thank you to WIA for making it possible! I have never been more grateful for a program as I have WIA!!”

-Amber Lindberg.