Tammy Royce always wanted to become a nurse. She just decided to raise her children first.
Years later, when her daughter Heather announced she was heading to nursing school, Tammy saw her chance.
“She’s like, ‘Hey, Mom, I’m gonna go to nursing school,’ and I’m like, ‘Mind if I go with you?’” Tammy said.
That decision eventually brought mother and daughter across the stage together as graduates of Delta College’s nursing program.
Over the past two years, Tammy and Heather became more than just family. They were built-in study partners, and, when nursing school became particularly challenging, motivators to keep going.
“We got this. We’re gonna do it. We’re gonna pass together,” Heather recalled telling one another after difficult exams.
The two completed Delta’s part-time nursing cohort, which offered evening classes and weekend clinicals. For Tammy, who worked full time while attending school, that flexibility helped make a longtime goal possible.
Now, they’re preparing for nursing careers of their own. Heather plans to begin in medical-surgical nursing before potentially moving into maternity care. Tammy is exploring an RN position at the nursing facility where she already works and hopes to eventually move into hospice care.
Their paths may be heading in different directions, but reaching this milestone is something they’ll always share.
“It’s been interesting to not only watch her graduate and see her dreams, but do it together,” Heather said. “It’s been really cool.”
By Mikaila Bluew, writer & editor
