Nursing Alumna Proud To Play A Valuable Role In Her Patient's Lives

One year ago at this time, Jamira Williams was in her final weeks in Onondaga Community College's Nursing degree program. It took her several years to reach the finish line because of life challenges, making her even more proud of what she accomplished. "I had to stop for health issues. I had to stop to take care of my children. I always came back. I knew what the end goal was and never let obstacles get in my way."

Williams graduated in December, and today the mother of two is a full-time Registered Nurse on the Oncology/Hematology floor at SUNY Upstate Medical University. “My job is extremely fulfilling. Even though I meet patients in some of the most vulnerable and hardest times of their lives, I leave work every day, sometimes extremely exhausted, but still knowing that I play a valuable role in my patient's life. That in itself is something I’m very proud of. Every day is challenging and new but worth it!”

She credits her OCC experience with helping her get to this point. “OCC provided a great foundation of knowledge for my career. I’m still learning new things every day, but I feel that the things I’ve learned in the Nursing program prepared me well to begin my career.”

Williams plans to begin working on her bachelor’s degree in 2025, and possibly pursue her master’s degree one day. “There are so many opportunities and pathways I can go down with this degree. The sky is the limit!”