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I went through the medical assistant program at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College after high school and worked at a clinic in Orangeburg for seven years before moving to North Carolina. Joining the military allowed me to help put my sister through undergrad and have money set aside when she started going to grad school. The deal was when she finished grad school I was going to go back to school to pursue nursing, but I just kept putting it off. Eventually, she said, “You need to go back.” As I started looking at my options, I realized OCtech had an amazing nursing program, so I applied. I wanted to be in a smaller class. I wanted a more hands-on experience. I knew I would be able to jump into nursing quicker through a technical college, so it was a no-brainer to go back to the school that started my love for healthcare. This is my story of overcoming the fear of failure and proving to myself that I can do anything.

What was it like coming right out of high school into OCtech? 

When I graduated high school, I begged my mother to let me go into the military. Because I was only 17, she had to sign for me. The deal was that I could go into the reserves, but I also had to go to school.

For me, it was an easy transition from high school to a technical college because the class size wasn’t big. I felt like the instructors knew me on a more personal level. I needed that smaller, hands-on classroom experience. I needed the support of people who could help me become more confident in what I was doing. 

What have you overcome in your life? 

I was always the person that everybody depended on because I work, I’ve been in the military, I’ve been deployed. I was able to support my sister while she was in grad school and help out back home with my mom. 

I quit a great job where I was contracting in phlebotomy for a hospital. Suddenly I was back home trying to apply for student loans and Pell Grants, and they were looking at my former income and saying, “Sorry, we can’t offer anything.” I went from being completely independent and doing all the helping to being the person who needed the help. 

This forced me to turn to my amazing family and church. They literally said, “Whatever you need, tell us. We’ll get it for you.” For me, that was so hard. I was well over 30 and starting a new career. I was used to paying my own bills. I’d always been the oldest and taken care of everyone else, but suddenly found myself in the position of needing others to care for me. 

What fears did you have to overcome in order to go back to school? 

My biggest fear was that I was going to fail. “Can I really do this? Do I have the discipline? If I give up my job in North Carolina and move back home, what if I fail? How long will it take me to get back on my feet?” 

I planned for two years before I finally made the call to OCtech. I had to tell myself, “You got this. You can do this. Plan for it. Budget for it. If you start saving now, even if something does go sideways, at least you’ll have savings.”

I worried that everyone would be younger and more driven than I was. I worried about having to learn how to study again and whether I would be able to keep up. I gave up my contract. I gave up my apartment.  I gave up everything. At that point failure was no longer an option. I had to keep pushing.

What would you like to tell the world about technical education? 

These are the same courses as a four-year college, just with smaller class sizes. By starting in your own backyard, you’re actually putting yourself ahead and saving money while getting the same education. Technical colleges teach you how to study. They help you discover your learning style so you can be successful. 

OCtech gave me an amazing education. I spent half the money I would have at a four-year college. I have two years worth of working experience on the nurses coming out of a four-year college. 

Don’t discount technical colleges. They offer so many different opportunities, especially if you have no idea what you really want to do yet. Getting your core classes done will open up so many other possibilities.

After a 17-year run in retail management, it was time for a change. I was ready for something that offered better work-life balance, as well as a return on my investment. I had always wanted to work in the medical field, but knew I didn’t want to be in a hospital setting working endless nights, weekends and holiday shifts. This is the story of how pivoting helped me find a new passion and purpose.

How did your technical education story begin? 

I spent almost two semesters at a four-year college in Pennsylvania before deciding that just wasn’t for me. When I decided to go back to school many years later, I was 38 years old and looked at life a little bit differently than I had the first time around. I chose to go to Horry Georgetown because it was a direct path to the career path I really wanted to pursue at a cost that worked for me.

Were you intimidated at all by the idea of going back to school?

Intimidated is an understatement. I was terrified.  I felt comfortable in my retail role and I was making a comfortable living. It was a huge undertaking for me to step away from a career path I had known for 17 years and commit to something new. In addition, while I was a good student in high school, prior to that I had struggled a bit. Those old fears were living in the back of my mind. Can I do this? Am I capable of performing well in college? That was terrifying. Getting over those hurdles was monumental. I had to decide that I could do this and I was going to do it.

What have you defied in your life and how has technical education been a catalyst for you in overcoming those obstacles?

I’m the youngest of nine, so defying the legacy of a family that was not heavily educated was both important and scary for me. Ultimately, I decided it was something I wanted to make happen — and I did. I will be the first person in our family to graduate with a higher education degree, and it’s very special for me to step out and be the leading man for education within my family. 

How has the affordability of technical education impacted things and what will that allow you to do moving forward?

ROI was very important to me. HGTC has provided me with a 2.5-year college degree for a very minimal investment. Job prospects in my industry are great, which puts me in a position to repay student loans quickly so I’m not still digging out from debt a decade down the road. I will be in a much better financial position without all the debt I would have incurred had I opted to go back to a four-year college. 

What do you want for your life five or ten years down the road? How has this experience shaped how you will get there? 

Dental hygiene is extremely important to overall health. I want to make a positive impact in the lives of people in my community, whether that means helping reduce patient anxiety or getting involved with industry studies. We are working to make strides in implementing dental hygiene in hospitals and in assisted living facilities where many people are not getting the care they need. I also see myself utilizing what I have learned through HGTC to educate people on oral healthcare, whether that is young children in elementary schools or individuals living with disabilities. 

What’s the biggest thing you have learned about yourself along the way? 

If I put my head down and focus, I can do anything I want to do. There is nothing quite like the sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing I’ve been able to achieve something that I didn’t necessarily think I could do. 

What advice would you give people as they’re considering their next steps when it comes to education?

Don’t give up. Don’t let age or fear define you. Don’t be afraid to take some time and to experience life whether it is good, bad or indifferent. That time and experience allows you to better decide where you want to go in your future. If you choose a career path that’s not for you, make a pivot and do something that you are passionate about. When you utilize your passion, it shines through to your patients, your customers — to everyone.

I’m from Minneapolis, but when I came to South Carolina, I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to create a life here. I was a single mother. I had my daughter when I was 20. When I realized I was going to have to start over in South Carolina — and that my previous education credits didn’t transfer — I knew I just couldn’t do it at the time. I had a young child and was pregnant with another. It was just too much, so I didn’t go. This is my story of finding my way back. 

What prompted you to finally jump back into pursuing your education? 

I came close two times before I actually did it. I would start looking at classes and thinking about the route that I wanted to take, then something would happen and it just wouldn’t work out. But it was always in the back of my mind.

My daughter, who is 16 now, was chosen to be in an early college program at Spartanburg Community College called SKETCHES. They picked her from a pool of 200 kids. Realizing she was going to be on campus taking college and high school classes, I just kept thinking to myself, “If my child can take these classes and get over the hump, surely I can do my best Jackie Joyner and hop over that first hurdle, too.” So I did. My daughter was my inspiration, and it just snowballed from there.

What did you have to overcome along the way? 

I don’t think I was as serious about college as some of my friends my senior year of high school. My mind just wasn’t really there. I knew that I needed to go. I had a new car. I could live at home and wouldn’t have to pay for room and board. That was a big deal because I was going to have to pay for a lot of my education as the oldest child of seven. 

My parents are great. They offered me help, but couldn’t pay for my education. I guess as a young person, that felt somehow discouraging, so I decided not to go to college right away. A few months after graduation I got pregnant. At the same time, my high school sweetheart and I had reached a fork in the road of our relationship. I knew I wanted something different, and that I wanted the best for my daughter. With the help of my family and friends, I got out of that relationship and just “single-momed” it for a while. My mind was focused on being a good mother and surviving; trying to figure out how to find a decent job and an apartment. I was juggling a lot.

I enrolled in school once during that period, but finances and stress deterred me from actually following through. I knew I wanted to go to college. I knew that I didn’t want to make minimum wage for the rest of my life. All of my friends had gone to school and they were all becoming really successful in life.

I started working at a daycare and worked my way up the ranks. Eventually, I started teaching at a private school as an assistant for the K3 classroom. When they saw how great I was with the kids and my passion for teaching, they asked me to stay on and become the lead teacher the following year. I just stayed in the comfort zone of that private school because I didn’t have to have my teaching certificate.

Once I’d been in the classroom long enough to build my confidence, I knew what I had to do. Going back to school was outside of my comfort zone, but I had to do it. How could I be an example to my kids and tell them that they need to go to college when they knew I had gone but hadn’t finished? I wanted to practice what I preached — so I did. And I never looked back.

What fears were holding you back? 

I’m sure going to college for the first time is daunting for any student, but even more so for non-traditional students. We’re working. We usually have children. We have homes and adult responsibilities. We have to figure out how to juggle all of it. 

I was also afraid I was going to be the oldest one in the classroom and would be embarrassed if I didn’t know something. Math is my weakness. I knew I was going to have to take these classes that I hadn’t taken since 2000, and I was afraid I was going to look stupid if I didn’t know something the younger students did. 

How are you feeling now that you are graduating? 

I’m ecstatic. There were times — and my family can attest to this — when I was like, “I can’t do this” while crying after a five-hour tutoring session. That is perseverance and determination — to feel you’re at your breaking point and still push through. I have met so many wonderful people along the way. I have experienced so many things that, had I not gone back to school, I would have missed out on. My kids have an even better role model now that they’ve seen me really struggle and push for my education. They realize it’s that important and non-negotiable.

What misperceptions do you think people have about technical education? What would you like to tell tem? 

I remember thinking maybe this was the route I needed to take because I had heard it was cheaper and easier than a four-year university. That latter part isn’t necessarily true. A lot of my SCC professors also teach at Wofford or at Upstate. We get the same education; educators at a technical and community college level just take a little bit more time with you. The classroom sizes are smaller. They get to know you by name, not just as a number. 

There is also a misperception that the technical college experience is not like the four-year college experience. That’s so untrue. The only real difference is that you don’t stay on campus. You get the same type of education with the added benefit of a little extra support. There are so many programs that people just don’t know about — and so much going on. They’re trying to get clubs together for the LGBTQIA+ community. They’re trying to have conversations with the black community about the injustices going on. It’s so much more than just a community college.

How will your SCC experience impact the next part of your journey? 

Every experience in a person’s life is very important. This experience pushed me outside of my comfort zone and encouraged me to really blossom. It felt like a rebirth. I don’t feel like the same person I was three years ago. I’m more confident and more involved with my community.

What advice do you have for students considering technical education? 

For traditional students, I’d say it’s an easier transition than going from high school right into a four-year college. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking four-your universities — I’m transferring to one! I’d also advise them to continue pursuing their education right out of high school. Don’t take a break. The minute you allow yourself that little bit of lag time, it’s so easy to say, “I’ll just wait just a little longer. Let me just go backpacking in Europe first.” There’s always going to be a reason to keep putting it off. 

For nontraditional students, I would say it’s never too late. I had classmates who were in their sixties and rocking it better than some of the younger students. Find your community when you go, and don’t worry that you’re going to stick out because of age or anything else. Everyone’s really focused on their own education. The world is never going to know the light that you have within yourself unless you move beyond your comfort zone, get out of the box you’re in and allow your light to shine.