INDIANAPOLIS — Anitra Cooley, a WGU Indiana nursing student and Indiana Center for Nursing (ICN) scholarship recipient, shared her moving story of overcoming significant personal obstacles, including a period of homelessness, on her journey to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. She delivered her remarks during the ICN’s Celebrate Nursing Gala on Sept. 19, 2018 in Indianapolis.
“WGU Indiana has changed my life in ways I can never repay,” said Cooley. “The Indiana Center for Nursing awarded me a scholarship this year at a crucial time and allowed me to concentrate on my academics with much less worry. I look forward to paying this honor forward with every patient I have, in my dream role, as a registered nurse.”
The Celebrate Nursing Gala is held annually to raise money for nursing scholarships, like the one Cooley received. Over the past four years, the Indiana Center for Nursing has distributed over $500,000 in scholarships to nursing students across the state.
“WGU Indiana’s affordable, flexible nursing degree program and the ICN scholarship made it possible for Anitra to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse,” said WGU Indiana State Director of Nursing, Dr. Mary Carney. “We’re proud of Anitra and her accomplishments and we hope that her story of perseverance and hard work inspires others who are considering a career in nursing.”
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development projects a 17.7 percent increase in the need for registered nurses by 2022. Aimed at addressing Indiana's growing shortage of registered nurses, WGU Indiana's undergraduate and graduate nursing degree programs combine WGU's online, competency-based education with rigorous clinical experience. WGU is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
