Date published: April 9, 2025
York, PA
“HACC has several resources for people who may be struggling to find ways to go back to school and manage their jobs and lives.”
Tamara Shaub faced significant hardships before discovering HACC and transforming her life. She credits a sign from a late friend with inspiring her to begin her academic journey.
“Several years ago, I lost my sense of security. I lost my relationship, my living situation and a young loved one, Carson, all within a few months,” said Tamara. “I felt a deep grief of all the loss, and I desperately missed Carson.”
While navigating these challenges, Tamara asked her late friend to give her some guidance. “The following day, I woke up with a drive to start nursing school. I did not have the financial resources and had no idea where to start but I decided to go to the HACC campus and jump in.”
While Tamara had the ambition to enroll in HACC’s Nursing Program, she didn’t know where to start. “Fortunately, the staff were extremely helpful and pointed me in the direction of financial resources and helped me to apply for scholarships,” she said, noting that HACC also connected her with the Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS) program.
“HACC has several resources for people who may be struggling to find ways to go back to school and manage their jobs and lives. I was fortunate to receive help from several of these programs which helped me stay in school.”
As an adult learner, Tamara was nervous about starting something new in her thirties. However, the friendly faces at HACC’s Welcome Center helped to ease her anxiety. “Everyone was so helpful and explained everything to me in baby steps which helped ease my anxiety,” she said.
“These have been the most difficult years of my life, but the silver lining to the downfall was how the hardships opened my eyes to all the amazing people around me,” she added. “I am astounded by the amount of love and support I have received during my darkest times.”
Tamara graduated in December 2024 with an Associate in Science in Nursing and plans to work in a pediatric intensive care unit in hopes of helping others. “Looking down at this bright light at the end of the tunnel, a solution to the financial instability and a goal accomplished with much effort, I could never express enough gratitude for the village I have had. They are why I am still standing here. I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to all of them. I could not have gotten here without every single one of you!”
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