Nursing student Lourdes Faith Fabros chose Great Bay Community College because she knew it was the surest, fastest way to get back on track with her educational and professional goals.
Before moving to New Hampshire eight years ago, she had been a premed student working toward her bachelor’s degree. Relocating to New Hampshire required her to go back to work, and she put her education on hold.
Fabros took a job in the manufacturing industry with a large Seacoast employer, and after five years she decided it was time to resume her education and return to healthcare. She enrolled at Great Bay in 2022 and will graduate in May with her associate in science degree in nursing. She works as a nurse extern in the interventional care unit at a leading regional hospital and has been offered a position in the cardiac surgical step-down unit after she completes her education.
“Taking a five-year break is a long time. I was a premed student working in manufacturing, and I finally said to myself, ‘Let me get back on track.’ I’ve always loved science and healthcare, and resuming my education at Great Bay was the most feasible option for me to get back to what I love, because it allowed me to work while pursuing my associate degree in nursing.”
Great Bay’s nursing program has prepared her well, she said. Professors with practical experience in the field provide expert classroom instruction, and Great Bay’s partnerships with local hospitals provide students with hands-on learning opportunities that lead directly to employment. In addition, the professors and staff at Great Bay support students at every turn.
“The resources they offer are great. For example, they offer tutoring to people who have trouble with test taking. They give you the help you might need to succeed, no matter what that is,” she said. “I think very highly of the nursing program and Great Bay. They do a very good job preparing us to work in the field in a very short time.”
Most of all, she is grateful that Great Bay made it possible for her to return to healthcare. It’s a field she has always been drawn to and one she never intended to leave.
“I like helping people,” she said. “I like seeing the difference I make in people’s lives and seeing them get better in the process.”
