Terry Laney says she was amazed by the accessibility of the nursing program at Blue Ridge Community College.

“I remember walking into the admissions office and asking to be put on a waiting list for the program. They handed me an application right there and I started that very semester!” she says.

Terry had tried to enter a similar program at a four-year college in Pennsylvania years earlier but had been put on a seemingly endless waiting list for admission. After moving to Virginia in 2005, she had hopes of trying again.

Realizing the accessible and affordable option community colleges provided her, Terry encouraged her son to apply. He is now pursuing his nursing degree at the community college as well. The mother-son team plan to open a case management agency to keep elderly adults out of nursing and long-term care facilities.

“There are many complications when it comes to assisting an elderly adult or relative. My goal is to open an agency that would coordinate details like transporters, health care and financial assistance,” Terry says.

With her goals firmly set, Terry says she is taking advantage of every opportunity provided by BRCC, including being a member of the Student Government, Phi Theta Kappa honor society and by joining other students at the Virginia General Assembly.

“I’m so grateful for the community college  and how easy they made it for me to get involved. I only have a little while to be in college, I want to make the most of these experiences. I hope my son will do the same.”

Posted by Lauren Von Herbulis