Lenoir Community College graduate Denise Chatman of Kinston was excited to complete her Associate Degree Nursing Program and become a Registered Nurse, but her road was not easy.

With a bachelor’s degree in Biology in hand, Chatman was unable to find a job in that field. She worked blue collar jobs to pay her living expenses and needs until she thought about going back to school.

She said she knew she wanted something in the healthcare field but hadn’t narrowed it to a specific occupation. It wasn’t until her father’s battle with cancer and her decision to relocate from New Jersey to North Carolina to take care of him that she selected a healthcare occupation.

While caring for her dad, Chatman discovered her caretaker passion and decided to return to school to become a Registered Nurse. This became a lifelong goal for her, and she enrolled into the Associate Degree Nursing Program (ADN) Program at LCC.

“Since I had a bachelor’s degree, I wasn’t approved to receive any financial assistance,” Chatman said. “Then I heard about the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) Program and found out I was eligible for the WIOA Adult Program. I received assistance with tuition, books, and Kaplan Testing Fees every semester.”

Chatman said returning to school was a transition for her as she had to retrain her study patterns in a different field. She said she quickly learned the severity of the nursing program, the countless nights of reading and studying materials, and participating in study groups to stay above average while working part-time jobs.

WIOA Career Advisor Ika Grant said Chatman set her standards high and worked extremely hard to attain them. “She faced and won a few battles in the midst of fears of Covid-19, shutdowns, and quarantines,” she said. “Her biggest battle was believing in herself. She said she suffered from imposter syndrome and didn’t feel like she deserved to be in the nursing program or that she wasn’t good enough during her first year in the program.”

Chatman worked hard to gain confidence in herself and build up her self-esteem. She juggled between school, work, and life balanced. She would take time from working to free up time to study, eliminate stress, and reduce the pressure she placed on herself to succeed.

With the help of her family, her fiancé, peers, and WIOA Career Advisor, Chatman was able to tackle her own doubts and strive through her second year of nursing school. “My WIOA Career Advisor, Ika Grant, helped me in numerous ways. She helped me create smart goals for myself in each step of the program,” she said. 

“She also helped me with finding outside resources for extra information on a topic that I had been struggling with in class,” she said. “Overall, she was like a therapist to me. I could easily express myself during my monthly counseling sessions and Mrs. Grant would encourage and provide solutions to help resolve issues.”

  Focused and determined, Chatman graduated from the ADN Program in May. In less than two weeks later, she took and passed the NCLEX. She discovered her interest in working with mental health patients while in nursing school and was eager to accept a position with Cherry Hospital in June.

“I am forever grateful to the WIOA Program,” she said. “Without the program, I wouldn’t be a Registered Nurse today. I would highly recommend the WIOA Program. It added so much more than financial assistance,” she said.

“If participants put the work into the program and stay on top of their documents, they will find the program invaluable to their academic achievements. I feel truly blessed to be a part of the WIOA Program.”