Chris Horne first realized she wanted to become a nurse while caring for her husband who was ill for nearly seven years. After her husband passed away she came to Southwest Virginia Community College to become a certified nurse assistant. Though she found that she enjoyed the work, she still lacked hospitalization insurance for her family. She decided to come back to SwVCC to fulfill the criteria needed for entrance into the Registered Nursing program so that she could continue to advance in the medical field.
The classes are challenging for her, but the personal attention she has received at SwVCC has helped her to succeed. “Attitude has a lot to do your success at Southwest, if you want help you will get it. Lisa Henley, assistant professor of mathematics, took the time to tutor me and a couple of other students in algebra outside the classroom.” Horne has also taken advantage of the free tutoring services offered on campus and cites her tutor Heather Combs on giving her the extra encouragement that she needed to get through her classes.
Her college education has been a family affair. She is a single parent of two sons, ages 11 and 13. “My sons have supported my decision to return to college. They have realized that people have to get an education to make a living.”
Her decision to go to college has given Horne some common ground with her children. “My sons and I do homework together and discuss what we are learning in school. My son even helped me with some algebra. It has really brought us closer,” said Horne.
She concedes that she wouldn’t be able to attend college without the help of her sons. “My sons have helped me a lot around the house by keeping their rooms clean and mowing the yard. They have been through a lot and sacrificed a lot. I am very proud of them,” she said.
Horne has completed the classes she needs and her goal is to enter the Registered Nursing program. “I am very excited about the possibility of becoming part of the nursing program. I am looking forward to clinicals to actually get to work with patients hands-on.” She would eventually like to work as a nurse in geriatrics or oncology.