ALOHA! My name is Sherina Terrell. I am 28 years old and I moved to Warner Robins, GA in 2016 to pursue my nursing career. I was born and raised on a small island in Hawaii called Oahu. Ever since I could remember, I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and be a nurse. Shortly after high school, I started taking general courses at a community college. Living on an island and going to school even with financial aid, I quickly learned how expensive and overwhelming it could be, so I decided to attend Hawaii Medical College. I obtained certifications in medical assisting, EKG technician, and phlebotomy. After graduation, I began working and enjoyed gaining the medical experience I knew I needed if I wanted to go further. However, due to my licenses expiring after some time and being unable to enroll back into school for my continuing education credit, I decided to leave home and follow my dreams. I applied to Georgia Military College’s pre-nursing program and graduated in 2018. Upon graduation, I researched schools I wanted to transfer to. A lot of my peers spoke highly of Middle Georgia State University and from day one of visiting the campus, I too felt the same. I quickly applied to the BSN program and was accepted for entrance into the fall semester. Coming from community colleges where tuition was much more affordable compared to Middle Georgia State, I knew I was going to need a lot of help. At our orientation, a WIOA representative spoke of the help they offered and that same week I went to visit the office. From the moment I walked into the Middle Georgia Consortium, I felt welcomed with friendly faces and exemplary service. I was educated on all aspects of the program and saw how much they cared about helping students succeed. Throughout the program, I lacked nothing and it was just up to me to put in the work. Besides the financial help, my career facilitator would reach out to encourage and help me in any way that she could to ensure my success. I cannot express my gratitude enough about how much WIOA has made a difference in my life. Without them, it would be almost impossible for me to have come this far! I graduated in December 2020 with my nursing degree and I just wanted to again say: Mahalo (Thank you) WIOA and Ms. Freeman for being in my corner and making an impact on my career.
