The Right Road For Rhodes
WILMINGTON – For working adults, making the decision to go back to school can be difficult and challenging, but also very rewarding. Yolanda Rhodes is one of the many working adults who made the decision to earn her degree at University of Mount Olive at Wilmington. She will reap the rewards of her hard work at graduation on May 7.
Having previously obtained a certificate in health unit coordinating years prior, Rhodes was not sure going back to school was right for her.
“I knew it would be a long hard road ahead of me,” she said. “I knew that I was extremely ambitious, but did not have the education to back me up.”
An unlikely chain of events finally convinced Rhodes to take the plunge.
“A registered nurse who worked with me told me one day that I really needed to go back to school. She told me that I would make a great director or manager and would need the education to pursue my goals. About two weeks after that pep talk, she passed away suddenly,” Rhodes explains.
Later that year, Rhodes enrolled in the Heritage program at University of Mount Olive at Wilmington. After earning her associate’s degree, she enrolled in the Health Care Management program in 2009. Rhodes is now looking forward to graduating with her bachelor’s degree and moving on to graduate school in July.
“University of Mount Olive has given me added confidence in myself,” Rhodes said. “I have learned how to prioritize as well as embrace the ‘true’ meaning of education. I have learned that whether you are 19 or 90, if your desire is to get an education, you should do it. Society is constantly changing and we need highly skilled individuals to be a part of today’s workforce.”
Rhodes resides in Castle Hayne, NC with her husband, Brandon, and two children, Jamal and Brandi. She is employed as an insurance claims representative at Lower Cape Fear Hospice & Life Care Center.
University of Mount Olive will graduate approximately 350 students at its 57th spring Commencement set for Saturday, May 7, at 2:00 PM in Kornegay Arena on the campus of University of Mount Olive.
University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu.