Happy to Be Here
Student, 52, pursuing lifelong dream to become a nurse
Dawn Butz can’t imagine that anyone at HCC could be happier than she is.
At 52, Butz is starting her educational journey to become a nurse, something she has dreamed about since she was in high school.
“Math was a struggle for me, so my guidance counselor in my senior year told me I wouldn't make it as a nurse and that I had better find something else,” she said
Distraught but not defeated, Butz made a slight pivot. Her high school offered a course that led to her becoming a certified nursing assistant. She signed up, and after graduation began working as a CNA. Butz found that she loved the work and continued to push herself even more into the healthcare field, earning her certification to become both an EMT and a phlebotomy technician.
But even after getting married and starting a family, she never gave up on her dream of becoming a nurse. The Connecticut resident decided to pursue the nursing program at Goodwin University, in East Hartford. She paid out of pocket to take all of the prerequisites. Halfway through her courses, the financial aid office informed her that she would not qualify for enough student loans to cover the cost of the nursing program.
Butz decided to take a more affordable route at Capital Community College, which forced her to face her fears and take a remedial math course. She passed with an A and applied to the nursing program only to find out that she was waitlisted.
Worse, her prerequisites, which are only good for five years, were set to expire. This meant that if she applied again the following year, she would have to pay to retake all of those courses.
“I was devastated,” she said. “I thought, I'm never gonna get into a school in Connecticut.”
Butz decided to expand her search beyond Connecticut. When she discovered HCC, she learned that her prerequisites were still good for another two years. She also learned that the nursing program requires applicants to complete a nurse’s aid training course if they are not already a CNA, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), or working in a similar role. It seemed like a perfect it.
All that was left was to pass an entrance exam and take a nutrition course before she could apply to the program.
“I will never forget it,” she said. “It was on April 16. I was at work in the emergency room and I just happened to go through my personal email, and there it was, my acceptance letter. I jumped up and down screaming. I was so happy. I finally got into a program.”
Life’s curveballs weren’t done with her yet. Butz reduced her work hours in order to take classes full time, thus reducing her income. Her husband’s employer was no longer offering overtime hours to make up for the family’s lost wages. Plus, the couple has a 17-year-old daughter with special needs who cannot be left home alone.
When Butz received her tuition bill for the nutrition course she needed to take, she was forced to choose between her mortgage and her future.
"I went to the scholarship office, just to see if there was anything I could apply for,” she said. “I told them I wouldn’t be able to go to next semester until I pay the bill.”
Laura White, assistant director of donor relations, told Butz the Holyoke Community College Foundation would be able to pay the remaining balance. Butz was able to start the fall semester with a clean slate.
“I literally walked out of there crying my eyeballs out,” Butz said. “I'm like, Somebody hears me. Somebody understands the pickle I'm in,” Butz said.
The days are long, but Butz could not be happier. She often leaves her house at 4 a.m. for class and by the time she gets home from work, it is close to midnight.
“I would drive to the moon and back to come here every day,” she said. “It's not a chore for me. The work is hard, but I'm happy to be here.”
– DOUG SCANLON
PHOTO: Dawn Butz
