Kalin Boyers’ Success Story with ANU
Kalin Boyers (left), like many adults, had long dreamed of pursuing higher education. However, life’s demands—marriage, children, and work—led her to put that dream on hold. As her children grew more independent, Kalin finally found the perfect time to focus on her goals. After caring for a family member at home, she discovered her true passion: providing care and support, much like a nurse. When she learned about ANU’s Medical Assisting associate degree program, she knew it was the ideal steppingstone to her dream career. Through hard work and dedication, Kalin earned the title of Term Trailblazer for term 242, nominated by her professor, Dr. Stephanie Denton!
In Kalin’s quest to find the education she needs to reach her dreams of becoming an RN, she explains a struggle to find a program that not only fit her schedule as a working mother but was also accredited. “I found a place, I’m gonna enroll, they’re accredited, which is a big deal, because lots of places online don’t actually carry the proper accreditations and then you’re just wasting your time,” she says of her journey to find the right school.
“So when I found ANU I was like, ‘this is perfect! I can do this online. And then if I choose to go back to school after graduating, then I can continue moving online.’”
She explains that attending ANU gives her the opportunity to attend her Zoom sessions and finish her assignments during the week, while working overnight as a patient care technician at her local hospital on the weekends. She says she “just get[s] in that habit every day, open it, look at it. It doesn’t matter if you spend 10 minutes or an hour, you gotta do something. So that’s been the-the biggest factor that has enabled me to stay on top of everything.”
When it comes to her class experiences, Kalin has enjoyed every minute. “I feel like it’s down to earth, it’s, you know, it’s achievable, it’s something that you don’t have to feel like you can’t just apply to because you don’t already carry four different degrees,” she explains. “You can start from scratch, you can go from zero to having that degree. You just have to want it, and I feel like they make it doable.” As she’s in our Medical Assisting associate degree program, Kalin thinks that her program is setting up a foundation for her that will last her whole career – even as she pursues her nursing degree later on. “I think that they’re setting up a really good learning foundation because if you don’t have even medical terminology walking into the hospital, that’s what they use… And so I think that they have done a really good job setting me up to make me feel comfortable around that environment.”
Her professors have been the shining stars for her in her education, however, bringing not only new knowledge for her to learn, but someone she can lean on for her education and beyond.
Dr. Stephanie Denton, the same professor who nominated her for her Term Trailblazer award, has been a professor she admires greatly. “She’s so smart. She knows so much stuff and she’s a jack of all trades. And so if there’s ever something that pops into my mind, she’s an open book to ask,” she says with a wide smile. “She had mentioned that later down the road looking for job opportunities, you can actually use your instructors as, professional referrals!”
Overall, she says that all of her professors “have truly been wonderful and really, that’s not just blowing smoke. That’s, that’s the, that’s the truth of it… I’ve been really happy with every single one of the professors and there has not been one where I’ve been like, ‘oh, I would not do that again’.”
Not only have her professors been wonderful, but Kalin feels immensely supported by the support staff she’s interacted with at ANU. She explains that student advisors always make sure to check in with their students. “If you are falling behind, they’ll reach out, they’ll call, they’ll email. So they’ve made themselves available… When I first was when I first started out, [my advisor] used to call me every week and she would check in just to make sure everything was ok if I had any questions or concerns.” Even in times of grief of losing someone close to her, her advisor was there to help her not only get the time she needed away, but to not fall behind in her classes. When she was in a heavy moment, she didn’t think she could handle being on camera during her Zoom session, and both her advisor and professors allowed her to sit it out without affecting her attendance grade. “And so they were like, ‘it’s ok, you don’t have to be on camera today’… reaching out to whoever needed to be reached out to so that way that I could be covered, and I wouldn’t miss anything. And that’s important with it being 40% of that grade.”
Her future goals include earning her nursing degree and becoming an RN. She explains that choosing her program now will help with that goal because “a lot of [classes] feed right into the nursing programs and it’s still relevant. It’s not just wasted credits and time.” Additionally, she hopes becoming a nurse will allow her to workday shifts rather than overnight shifts in her future, so she doesn’t have to sacrifice more time with her children and family.
Would she recommend ANU to other students? “Absolutely. And they make it easy!”
