As Karen Williams proudly walked across the stage to accept her bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree from UL Lafayette, her eldest daughter小蝌蚪APP檚 own high school graduation was still fresh in their family小蝌蚪APP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.
小蝌蚪APP淣ow that things are settling down with my education and I'm almost done, all of my mama worries are coming out,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淏ut it小蝌蚪APP檚 been pretty neat. We took pictures together with our caps and gowns. It小蝌蚪APP檚 just a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing.小蝌蚪APP
Putting Family First
Williams knew early on that she was meant to be a mother 小蝌蚪APP that小蝌蚪APP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.
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 wasn小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Williams convened a family meeting to discuss the changes they would face as she pursued her degree.
小蝌蚪APP淚 feel like my husband and two girls had to make more of a sacrifice than I did,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP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 小蝌蚪APP we just had to do life differently.小蝌蚪APP
Empowered by the support of her family, Williams set off on her mission to earn her B.S. in Health Services Administration 小蝌蚪APP 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小蝌蚪APP檛 without its challenges.
With a well-established career as an LPN, Williams wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 sure how the curriculum would align with her experience.
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP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, 小蝌蚪APP業 hadn小蝌蚪APP檛 thought about that in a hot minute, let me look at it in a different way.小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
While her job experience provided some familiarity with the coursework, Williams understood the importance of creating a set schedule for school.
小蝌蚪APP淚 don't think I would have made it had I'm not carved out dedicated hours every single week,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
As Williams honed her schedule, she encountered a new challenge familiar to online students: personal accountability.
小蝌蚪APP淚 had to have true self-motivation. I had to organize myself,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭here小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
While adapting to this new mode of learning, Williams found herself balancing her schoolwork with the responsibility of being her mother小蝌蚪APP檚 caregiver.
小蝌蚪APP淢y mom is chronically ill, and I spent a huge portion of my time staying in the hospital with her,小蝌蚪APP she explains. 小蝌蚪APP淏ut my husband and daughters filled gaps that would not and could not have been filled without their help.小蝌蚪APP
Williams says the structured nature of the program allowed her to fulfill all her roles while earning her degree.
小蝌蚪APP淢ost of the HSA classes had such an accommodating structure, so I could plan out my weeks in advance,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Planning for the Future
With her bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree on the horizon, Williams is already laying the groundwork for the next phase of her academic journey.
小蝌蚪APP淚 was accepted into the Master of Legal Studies program with the 小蝌蚪APP of Tennessee, and I start there in the fall,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Meanwhile, her daughter小蝌蚪APP檚 impending high school graduation adds an extra layer of celebration to their family小蝌蚪APP檚 journey.
As they prepare to mark this shared milestone, Williams knows their encouragement will continue to guide her forward.
小蝌蚪APP淢y husband and my girls, they小蝌蚪APP檝e 100% been my support system,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 would not be able to graduate without them.小蝌蚪APP
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