Dorothy Joanis and Delali Ladzekpo have a lot in common.
Their moms encouraged them to be nurses; they both pursued healthcare careers after high school; they both graduated from American Career College's associate degree in nursing (ADN) program; and now they both attended their first career fair as registered nurses.
Joanis was looking for an entry-level RN position in the med-surg, emergency or medical evacuation department. She worked for five years as a licensed vocational nurse before going back to school at ACC-Los Angeles.
“My mom was a (certified nursing assistant) and she used to take us to work with her sometimes, so my love for healthcare grew from an early age," Joanis said. “I wanted to progress in nursing because I love it. This is the only profession that I've had an attachment to so I was like 'I'm going to keep growing as a nurse.'”
Joanis added that she draws inspiration from helping patients and seeing the smiles on their faces.
“I love that,” she said. “There's nothing that can replace that. Nothing at all.”
Ladzekpo’s mother has been a labor and delivery nurse for many years. Now, she’s leaning towards working in that field after graduating from ACC-LA.
"It's just been in my family since I was little,” Ladzekpo said. “I've always wanted to be a nurse and luckily I was able to get into this program straight out of high school.”
Eighteen months after joining the ADN program, the 20-year-old Ladzekpo is eager to start her new career.
“All my high school friends are still in school, but I'm done,” she said, with a laugh.
Ladzekpo hopes to one day pursue becoming a nurse practitioner or midwife. But for now, she and Joanis were thankful for how supportive the ADN team was in helping them get to this point.
“The ADN program has been really, really helpful. The staff here has been more than accommodating,” Joanis said. “They help us through our downs and our ups. They've been great and I encourage people to come here.”
"I agree with her,” Ladzekpo said, laughing.
Back to News
