Mandi Williams (pseudonym)

When Mandi Williams’ husband was diagnosed with a disability in 2004, he was no longer able to work and had to resign. Mandi, a stay-at-home mother with a three-year-old mentally disabled son, had to support her family financially.

Although she dreamed of being a nurse, Mandi had a lot of self-doubt and insecurities about attending college as a nontraditional student. However, she believed in the power of her potential and, in the fall of 2004, was accepted into the Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) Program at LFCC.

Mandi became a member of the TRIO Student Support Services Program, which provided her with personal and academic support. She excelled in the LPN Program and attributed her success and newfound confidence to the support she received through the TRIO Program.

Mandi graduated from the LPN Program at the end of the summer 2006 semester and is now enrolled in LFCC’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Program. Amber Foltz, an education support specialist in the TRIO Program, commented on Mandi’s remarkable progress: “She has gone from someone who didn’t see herself making it past one semester to graduating and now pursuing an ADN degree.”

- Written Nov. 3, 2006