Concordia University faced a closure that left many students feeling lost. Viry Juarez was one of those students. This closure almost deterred her from continuing her education, but there was hope in University of Providence’s Bachelors of Healthcare Administration Program. As it turns out, Viry had looked into the programs offered at University of Providence previously, but at the time of looking, there were no offerings of a Bachelor’s program. As a mother of two, it was really important to Viry to have flexibility in her program, which led her to choose Concordia originally. When informed of the closure, Viry looked into all her options and came across University of Providence again. When she found out they had opened up a bachelor’s program, she was thrilled and began putting in the work to see how her credits would transfer. With many questions running through her head, Viry enrolled in the program. “I was challenged with the questions; can I do this? Can I have that type of discipline? Can I be a wife, a mom, an employee and still do my online work? So, I gave it a shot, I enrolled. This December will be a year since I’ve been here.”
Viry is hoping to utilize her degree for advancement, but her inspiration for finishing her degree came from her daughter. “My daughter is a senior in high school and as she gets closer to graduating, I want her to know that if I can finish my degree, so can she!” Viry also opened up about her current position and how a degree will help her advance in her field. “I came in looking for a degree because I’ve been doing my job for 8 years. There’s been supervisor roles that I did not have the opportunity to do because although I have the knowledge and I have eight years of experience, I didn’t have a degree, so I wasn’t given the opportunity to apply and so this was my momentum to try and get there one day.” As a senior, she’s on track to graduate in the fall of 2022 and is looking forward to new opportunities.
When asked if she would recommend this program to others, it was a resounding yes, but with a few caveats. “It’s challenging. Am I really challenging myself in my education? I want to be able to soak up as much information as I can and learn. Make sure you can look through the courses and identify where you want to be. You are going to get your money’s worth and learn. You have to come in with an open mind to be successful in the program.”
Viry truly loves the program, the individual classes, and the opportunity it has given her to expand her perspective and learn about others. “I love the equality classes. These classes bring out what our healthcare is today as far as our vulnerable population. Those in the classes are blended in regards to their jobs. Some are in healthcare, some aren’t, so it really opens up that space for us to explain what we do and how we go about it. I enjoy the discussions about how we can improve our care for patients and how we can dissolve those past judgements that we’ve been brought up with. It’s brought a different level of understanding about how patients have come from all backgrounds and places of life that need that support.”
