Nursing Student Comes Full Circle Back to CCP in Just Five Years

Asha Jones, Nursing Class of 2021, completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and is now working as a float nurse at Jefferson Hospital and as a visiting lecturer at CCP, all before age 25. When she first started taking classes at CCP, Asha had no idea she would end up back at the College just a few years later, this time, as an instructor.

"It's just been a full circle moment for me, because I'm literally only 24,” Asha said. “So, I started at CCP, became a nurse, graduated with my master's, and now I'm back to teach in the same program that I started from.” Asha is proud of the education she received at CCP. “I feel like CCP's Nursing program really prepared you for real-world nursing,” she said. “I feel like they give you the tools that you need to be a great and competent nurse.”

Asha is also grateful for the connections she made here. “I feel like the people that you meet when you're here, because it's so diverse, you kind of cling to those people and you get each other through your program,” she said. “My instructors, I feel like they were very helpful to me, and they pushed me, especially when you don't see it in yourself to pass a test or something. They give you that motivation.”

Dr. Lisa Johnson, professor and department head of Nursing, has been particularly helpful and supportive for Asha. “And when I say she's just been a great help to transition into me teaching, like she's just advocating for me and just like seeing things in me that I don't even see in myself,” Asha said. Dr. Johnson’s encouragement for Asha is a great example of the kind of mentorship and genuine care that many CCP faculty give to their students, beyond their time here at the College.

As for the future of CCP, Asha hopes to see it continue to grow and offer even more to its students. She is grateful for what the College has given her and hopes students continue to take advantage of those same opportunities for generations to come. “Soak it all in, take it all in, and do not say no to any opportunities,” she said. “You never know where it's going to get you.”