“I had always been interested in health sciences, so when I started college I wanted to be a nurse,” Rebecca said, “But then I had my son, and I knew it would be almost impossible to work typical nursing hours while taking care of him. So, I started at MCCC originally intending to do Medical Billing and Coding, but after I earned my certification I wanted to continue on and get my associate degree.” Rebecca finally accomplished her goal in June of 2017, when she graduated from MCCC with her associate degree in Health Services Administration.
Fortunately for Rebecca, she soon found a great job working as the Manager of Revenue Cycle for the Neurosurgery Department at University of Pennsylvania Hospital. It had been her intention to continue on in this position when, to her surprise, Rebecca was alerted that there was a new job opportunity within her department in a leadership position. In order to achieve this new career goal, Rebecca knew she needed her bachelor’s degree. That’s when she learned about the Organizational Leadership bachelor’s degree program at Peirce College.“My manager at work was actually a Peirce College student, so she told me it would be a great place to transfer my credits and earn my bachelor’s degree,” Rebecca said. “She knew I would need a flexible class schedule because of my full-time work schedule and my son. I also knew as a visual learner I might need a mix of in-person and online school. Once I learned that Peirce provided what I was looking for and nearly all of my credits transferred, that was that.”
Since Rebecca works full-time at University of Pennsylvania Hospital and also raises her son, she takes advantage of the PeirceFit® format. She tries to make it in to the College as often as she can, but she says that her online courses still effectively foster a community feel. “I know I have all the resources I need to succeed,” she says. “It’s great to feel interactive with other students and instructors even though I attend class online most weeks.”
When asked what advice she might share with anyone considering a return to college after having children or working full time, Rebecca laughed and shared her favorite quote, a line from Finding Nemo, “‘Just keep swimming!’ As difficult and overwhelming as things may seem, people are so much stronger and more resilient than they give themselves credit for.” Rebecca claims that she “doesn’t know what free time is anymore,” but smiles and says that her favorite hobby is hiking outside with her son and their dog.
Peirce College wishes Rebecca the best of luck and congratulates her on her achievements thus far, and commends Montgomery County Community College on providing Rebecca with an excellent educational foundation!
If you or someone you know is looking to transfer to Peirce College, please contact me, Tom Tschop, Manager, Institutional Partnerships, at 215.670.9203 or ttschop@peirce.edu.
