As Karen Williams proudly walked across the stage to accept her bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree from UL Lafayette, her eldest daughter杏吧专区檚 own high school graduation was still fresh in their family杏吧专区檚 minds from the day before.
Their parallel accomplishments not only highlight their individual perseverance, but also the unyielding support of their family that pushes them forward.
杏吧专区淣ow that things are settling down with my education and I'm almost done, all of my mama worries are coming out,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淏ut it杏吧专区檚 been pretty neat. We took pictures together with our caps and gowns. It杏吧专区檚 just a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing.杏吧专区
Putting Family First
Williams knew early on that she was meant to be a mother 杏吧专区 that杏吧专区檚 the reason she took a break from school in 2001 to pursue a career as an LPN.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through nearly two decades later, Williams was met with an opportunity to reflect on her career for the first time in her adult life.
杏吧专区淒uring COVID, I had a lot of time to think about where I stood and all that I had hoped to accomplish to that point,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 wasn杏吧专区檛 thrilled with where I was from a professional standpoint and knew I needed to make some hard choices. This is when I decided to go back to school.杏吧专区
Williams convened a family meeting to discuss the changes they would face as she pursued her degree.
杏吧专区淚 feel like my husband and two girls had to make more of a sacrifice than I did,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 something that we sat down and talked through before I went back to school, because there were things that I would have to miss 杏吧专区 we just had to do life differently.杏吧专区
Empowered by the support of her family, Williams set off on her mission to earn her B.S. in Health Services Administration 杏吧专区 a degree that would allow her to leverage her decades of experience in healthcare while transitioning to a new career path.
Finding a Groove
The transition back to academia wasn杏吧专区檛 without its challenges.
With a well-established career as an LPN, Williams wasn杏吧专区檛 sure how the curriculum would align with her experience.
杏吧专区淚t was difficult at first because I've been in the field for 20 years, so a lot of the things that I was learning were already parts of my daily job,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淲hen you get so used to a routine, some things get pushed to the wayside, so different classes or subjects would pop up every semester that I'd be like, 杏吧专区業 hadn杏吧专区檛 thought about that in a hot minute, let me look at it in a different way.杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
While her job experience provided some familiarity with the coursework, Williams understood the importance of creating a set schedule for school.
杏吧专区淚 don't think I would have made it had I'm not carved out dedicated hours every single week,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淔riday afternoons and Sundays were dedicated to school, period. No matter if there was only one assignment, no matter if I only had one class, or it was a summer session, it didn't matter. I had to make myself do it and couldn't get out of that groove.杏吧专区
As Williams honed her schedule, she encountered a new challenge familiar to online students: personal accountability.
杏吧专区淚 had to have true self-motivation. I had to organize myself,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淭here杏吧专区檚 not a teacher at the front of the classroom where you can just raise your hand. Yes, they are accessible. And yes, they are very helpful and accommodating. But when they're not live and in front of the class, it's just different and you have to adjust to that.杏吧专区
While adapting to this new mode of learning, Williams found herself balancing her schoolwork with the responsibility of being her mother杏吧专区檚 caregiver.
杏吧专区淢y mom is chronically ill, and I spent a huge portion of my time staying in the hospital with her,杏吧专区 she explains. 杏吧专区淏ut my husband and daughters filled gaps that would not and could not have been filled without their help.杏吧专区
Williams says the structured nature of the program allowed her to fulfill all her roles while earning her degree.
杏吧专区淢ost of the HSA classes had such an accommodating structure, so I could plan out my weeks in advance,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 was still able to do my job, be a mom, be a wife, be a caregiver, and do all the other things because I had so much structure through the professors. They are wonderful. They made it doable.杏吧专区
Planning for the Future
With her bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree on the horizon, Williams is already laying the groundwork for the next phase of her academic journey.
杏吧专区淚 was accepted into the Master of Legal Studies program with the 杏吧专区 of Tennessee, and I start there in the fall,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淭hat's where I plan to go with all of this, the legal compliance route. That's my main interest. I would like to be a compliance officer or have some sort of claims management role.杏吧专区
Meanwhile, her daughter杏吧专区檚 impending high school graduation adds an extra layer of celebration to their family杏吧专区檚 journey.
As they prepare to mark this shared milestone, Williams knows their encouragement will continue to guide her forward.
杏吧专区淢y husband and my girls, they杏吧专区檝e 100% been my support system,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 would not be able to graduate without them.杏吧专区
Advance your nursing practice and your career. Learn more about the杏吧专区疊.S. in Health Services Administration online杏吧专区痯rogram at the 杏吧专区.