Cheryl knew from a very young age that she wanted a job in healthcare. Cheryl’s mother was a registered nurse and an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University Of Texas School Of Nursing at the Texas Medical Center.
In high school, she decided she wanted to be a nurse like her mother, and applied to the High School for Health Professions in Houston, Texas. Soon after her acceptance, Cheryl was dealt a devastating blow. Her mother passed away from cancer that May.
Before she knew it, three decades had gone by, and Cheryl had given birth to 4 children and gotten married. Cheryl had long impressed upon her children the importance of a college education. She told them as soon as they left home for college she would go back to school.
Cheryl was working at a clinical laboratory facility, making around $19.00 an hour. But then, she developed health problems that prevented her from working. After regaining her health, she wanted to enjoy her freedom, pushing off her education once again. Her son was pursuing his second Master’s Degree when he asked, “Mom, what are you waiting for?” With an empty house, she started her journey to become a nurse at the age of 49.