Nathalie Johnson

Sometimes when you think that there is just one pathway, one trajectory for you to walk, life grabs and spins you upside down.
My name is Nathalie Valen Johnson. I am forty-five years old and I began my journey in 2025, to get my second degree in Nursing. Currently, I teach ESL part-time online and really enjoy what I do. However, ever since COVID-19 happened, things began to change. Our world began to change.

I looked at the world around me, I looked at this very country, and it is nothing like it was ten years ago. It made me feel depressed and the year 2025 and the emotions that came with it were nothing that I experienced before. I wanted to do something to help myself that would also be beneficial and reach more people, not just my students in my online ESL classes. I wanted to do more because there is such a need for this world to have more kindness, empathy and love.

I had been dabbling with the idea of going back to school to get a degree and learn a skill in the medical field. I come from a family of doctors and nurses and even after I graduated, my family would also tell me it was not too late to go back and get the degree. Throughout all these years, I kept resisting their advice but when 2025 came with its new reality, I decided to do something about it. I decided to take the step and go back to college.

To achieve this goal, I enrolled with PGCC.  Laurel College Center is the closest center to where I live. At first, I was a little hesitant to enroll because of the main campus’ location. However, LCC is perfect because it is so convenient for me to access and utilize the services, they have available.

In addition, it has been twenty-four years since I graduated and navigating college again was tricky and quite intimidating because so many things have changed. LCC’s staff, advisors, instructors, and people at the information desk did so much to answer my questions and help alleviate my doubts about studying and going back to school.

There are a few things I enjoy most about being part of the campus community.  One is the welcoming and friendly environment that I always encounter with the staff at LCC.  They always listen if you have any questions and always have time for students.

The second is the diversity of all the students who come from all around the world with their different perspectives and cultures. Some of my classmates are about my age. They are parents with jobs and a whole family and household to take care of.  They also face the same challenges as I do but they don’t let that stop them from reaching their goals. It is wonderful to find that there are others like me who want to make a difference in their lives and in the lives of others.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

I hope my story will inspire others in their journey to take that first step to make a positive change in their life.