Whitney Parks A.A./University Transfer Florida Community College, Class of 2008

Reaching The Unreachable Dream

Whitney Parks
Florida Community College, Class of 2008

When Whitney Parks was six years old, she told her first-grade teacher that she wanted to become a nurse. “High school came and went with a blur,” she said, “and I remember thinking that going to college and nursing school was still a far-off, unreachable dream.” But thanks to her hard work, that dream is becoming a reality. After graduating from Florida Community College in 2008 with an A.A. degree. Whitney is finding success in the accelerated nursing program at Virginia’s Old Dominion University (ODU).

Having grown up on tiny Tangier Island in Virginia, Whitney pondered the path to her future, and settled on Jacksonville and FCCJ. “It was the scariest but most exciting moment in my life,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘I can’t do this, I am just a small town girl from Tangier Island. I am never going to make it out here in this strange place.’ Boy was I wrong!”

Whitney found the people at FCCJ more than willing to help her reach her goals. “I loved everything about the school,” she said. “The teachers were awesome. My writing skills were not great when I began FCCJ, but my English professors really worked with me until I understood the best ways to approach my assignments. FCCJ really prepared me well for my advanced studies at ODU.”

During her time at FCCJ she even served as a Student Ambassador. “I was able to give tours and talk with hundreds — maybe thousands — of incoming students about my experience at FCCJ. I was able to share my story about growing up in a small town, not thinking that I would ever achieve a degree at all. Now, here I am with an A.A., on my way to a B.S. in nursing. I still can’t believe it.”

Whitney’s success has spurred even bigger plans. “I plan to continue on to my masters and possibly my doctorate degree to become a nurse practitioner with a specialty in family care, nurse midwifery or women’s health. Now that my dream is beginning to become a reality, I plan to study hard and continue to learn all that I can in order to provide patients with the best quality of care.”

Considering all she’s achieved so far, there’s little doubt Whitney will do just that.