It Was Her Turn! After Watching Her Three Children Graduate from College, Valerie Wakefield, 59, Receives BS in Nursing from La Salle University

Next time, it’s my turn, Valerie Wakefield said to herself as she watched her three children graduate from three different colleges in May of 2004. Five years later, Wakefield, a 59-year old grandmother, received her BS in nursing from La Salle University at the school’s commencement exercises this month.

"Nursing was something I always thought about, but I put that on hold for many years while I raised my family," said Wakefield, a Germantown native who now lives in Northwest Philadelphia. "Once I saw them graduate I thought I’d give it a try myself."

Her daughter is a nurse, and encouraged her: "I had helped her study when she was in school, and she told me, ‘You already know this stuff, ’"said Wakefield. "All three of my children were supportive of my going to college."

Wakefield enrolled at Community College of Philadelphia and earned her associate’s degree. She then enrolled at La Salle, and balanced her studies with working two part-time jobs, as a nurse extern and as a school secretary. (Wakefield is scheduled to start work as a registered nurse at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in August, in the maternal and infant care unit.)

But balancing work and school was not the biggest challenge she faced:

"There was an electrical fire from an unused outlet in my home on January 27, 2008. Thankfully, my granddaughter and I escaped unharmed," said Wakefield. "The Red Cross, my church, family and friends assisted us for two weeks. We ended up residing at a hotel on City Line Avenue for approximately 8 months while our home was being repaired. The stay was nice initially, but as time went on, I missed my home and neighbors where I had lived for 35 years."

"During this time, I was taking courses in pediatrics, mental health and public health. This was a very trying and difficult time, but I was able to maintain a focus on my goal of completing nursing school and graduate by May of 2009," she said. "Overall, this dilemma actually strengthened me as I was able to take my mind off of my circumstances, and assist in the care of sick children, individuals with diseases of their minds, as well as homeless men living in a crowded shelter."

But this is not the end of Wakefield’s story. Calling herself a "nurturing person," Wakefield is considering earning a Master’s in nursing with the goal of becoming a school nurse.