Step by Step, Stacy Emerson is Achieving Her Dream of Becoming a Registered Nurse

Stacy Emerson describes herself as “a bit of a mother hen.” She’s on the older end of her classmates in her nursing cohort at Vermont State University (Vermont State), and she’s always looking out for her friends and coworkers. The friendships she’s formed among her nursing peers are so strong that, with their encouragement, she’s continuing on to complete her associate degree and plans to attain licensure as a Registered Nurse after graduation this spring.

“They said, ‘we all have to stick together,’ and even though I wasn’t sure I would be able to continue on after my Practical Nursing Certificate, they encouraged me and convinced me we could all do it together,” Stacy says.

Stacy takes her classes at Vermont State Lyndon and does her clinical rotations in Newport, near her home in Derby. She just finished the first year in Vermont State’s stackable nursing program and received her Practical Nursing Certificate. Now, she’s enrolled again and hopes to complete her associate degree this spring.

From LNA to RN, advancing in nursing was always the goal

For close to twenty years, Stacy worked as an LNA in long-term care facilities in Newport, and then in Barton. She’s continued to work at Maple Lane Nursing Home in Barton part-time while attending school full-time. In 2019, she got certified through North Country Career Center as a Medication Nursing Assistant (MNA).

“Nursing school has been a long-term goal of mine,” she said. “I worked for years on the prerequisites, taking a couple of classes here and there at Community College of Vermont and always balancing the time I had with my daughter. A few years ago, I decided I just needed to do it. I’m getting older and LNA work is really hard on your body. I needed to make a change.”

She first applied to Vermont State University in 2019 but wasn’t accepted into the nursing program. She tried again a few years later, and was able to start classes last year.

“I thought that ship sailed in high school”

Stacy is an adult learner and she wasn’t sure what her options would be for financial aid. That’s where Marti Kingsley, an outreach counselor with VSAC’s Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), came in. The EOC provides guidance to adults who are interested in college or training. “When I applied, I didn't even know you could get scholarships as an adult,” Stacy shared. “I thought that ship sailed in high school.”

The ship had not sailed. Marti helped Stacy identify financial aid, including scholarships and grants, that would help her cover her tuition and other expenses. Last school year, Stacy received workforce development funding through VSAC’s Vermont Trades program, and a Curtis Fund scholarship. She was surprised and delighted to learn that the Vermont Trades funding would cover her full tuition.

This year, she was awarded the Vermont Rural Health Transformation Tuition Benefit, which provides financing for students to pursue education in eligible health related fields who are committed to serving rural Vermont communities following degree completion. “I grew up in Newport and went to North Country Union High School,” Stacy noted. “I’m planning to stay and live and work in this area. To achieve my goal and to have the support to do it means a lot to me.”

Step by step, Stacy moved forward

Stacy says that she’s working on her confidence. She struggled with school as a teen and overcame a lot of obstacles in her younger years to get where she is today. Her daughter was born just two days after she turned 19, and she notes that she worked hard to make her life better and figure out how to support herself and her child. “I was on my own and I knew resources were limited,” she said “So I knew I had to find something to make a living and a long-term career.”

That something was becoming a LNA, then working toward her MNA, and eventually admission to nursing school. When she studied for her MNA, her instructor at North Country Career Center was Nancy Noble. Nancy, also a clinical instructor in Vermont State's nursing program, made a big impression on Stacy.

The student DAISY Award and support from her friends and family boosted Stacy’s confidence

“Nancy is a great mentor and I’m lucky I was able to have her at North Country and at Vermont State,” Stacy said. Stacy graduated with honors with her Practical Nursing certificate in June, which was a huge confidence boost. Another came when Nancy nominated Stacy for the prestigious student DAISY Award, which Stacy won. “I have no idea how,” she added. “But I’m so proud of myself and impressed with myself!” The award was announced at her Practical Nursing pinning ceremony, and again at Stacy’s graduation. And Stacy’s daughter—now in her early 20s—is proud of her mom’s hard work.

With those achievements and the encouragement of classmates and family, Stacy is continuing on to complete her associate degree this year. She says her husband is incredibly supportive, doing everything he can to help her out—even bringing her plates of food when she’s holed up in her room studying. Stacy’s parents help wherever they can with bills, and her best friend Trish, a nurse herself, helps Stacy study and answers her questions wherever she can.

“I have a great support system,” Stacy shared. “Even with that, it’s hard work. But if you believe in yourself and work hard, you can do it."

Stacy is knee-deep in her fall semester right now and is looking forward to finishing up in the spring. It will be a big moment when she walks across the stage with her degree—and one she’s been looking forward to for a long time.

“Just because you’re a little older than your peers doesn't mean that you can’t succeed,” she added.