Greer Garcia often thinks about three words that one of her FCC nursing professors shared with her class one day – “Find your why.”

For Greer, that was easy. Her “why” was her sister and her son. In 2017, Greer’s sister passed away after suffering multiple strokes. Helping her sister during her health struggles made Greer realize she could be an advocate for others. Working as a CNA at Frederick Health Hospital that same year eventually led to her decision to continue her education and work toward becoming a registered nurse.

As a mother to a now 23-year-old son, Greer initially worried she wouldn’t be able to keep up with her more traditionally-aged college classmates in the FCC nursing program. Buoyed by the desire to honor her sister and set a good example for her son, she enrolled in the program. Greer graduated in May 2021 and immediately got a job working as a labor and delivery nurse at Frederick Health Hospital, which she calls a privilege.

“Almost every day I get to see life come into the world, and I get to see the reaction of the parents,” Greer says. “It’s truly humanity at its rawest and I feel honored that others allow me to share in these intimate moments with them.”

As a nurse today, Greer says she is grateful for the hands-on experiences and services that FCC offered her as a student.

“FCC offers so many resources to students that help them from day one to graduation,” Greer said. “What was especially helpful for me were the lab hours where I got to practice skills like inserting an IV, and the tutoring that was able to be done around my schedule. It was all an enormous help for me.”

For Greer, the fact that FCC offered a challenging program nearby meant she could advance her skills and realize her dream of becoming a nurse without having to leave Frederick. Being able to serve the community she has fallen in love with was critical for Greer, who immigrated to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago as an 11-year-old. She later moved from Montgomery County to Frederick to raise her son.

“It is so important to have a local college like FCC where community members have access to higher education at their doorstep,” Greer said. “Members of our community can go straight from high school to FCC, and then to their careers. People who grew up here can stay here and pour themselves back into their community.”