Justine Sparrgrove | 2009 Nursing Associate degree graduate

• The reason why I choose Southwest Tech was because it was close to home and I knew about the college because one of my older brothers had earned his degree there. Southwest Tech was more affordable than going to a four- year school, I could get into the nursing field right away and then work full time while my credits transferred to the four-year college that I wanted to attend.

Southwest Tech impacted my career by giving me a jump start at the hospital I was hired at. I had the opportunity to do my clinical rotations there and had received a scholarship from them while a student. When it came time to apply, I could confidently say that I knew a lot about the organization. Every day I had clinical was a chance to showcase what I had learned from Southwest Tech.

After graduation from Southwest Tech in May 2009, I immediately applied to Viterbo University’s RN to BSN program. I worked full-time and went to school full-time online and in person at an outreach site, which happened to be Southwest Tech. Myself and nine other students met twice a week in a classroom at SWTC and our Adjunct Nursing Faculty was none other than Carol Needham, a retired SWTC instructor. Coincidently enough, while attending SWTC for my ADN I received a few scholarships and one was from Carol Needham and her family.

After graduating from Viterbo in May 2012, I started on my Masters of Science in Nursing through Walden University. This was an all online program with a clinical rotation and a preceptorship. The clinical was with a Nurse Practitioner and the preceptorship was with Cynde Larsen at SWTC. She was one of my mentors while earning my ADN at SWTC and I could think of no one else I would rather have guide me than Cynde.

After I graduating with my MSN from Walden University in November 2014, I continued to work at my local hospital on the med/surg unit and also started adjuncting for the SWTC Nursing Program. About two years after I completed my MSN, there was an opening for a full-time Nursing faculty position and I was lucky enough to become part of the SWTC family in the fall of 2016.

After being a student and now a faculty member, I would highly encourage everyone to apply to be a Student Ambassador. I was fortunate enough to be an Ambassador and got some great opportunities to network with other students from different programs and showcase the college during events, tours and Q & A sessions with high school students. I would also encourage nursing students to participate in the Student Nurses Association. I was secretary/treasurer when I was attending SWTC and I am now the advisor. SNA allows for networking with other nursing students across the state at the Wisconsin Student Nurses Association Convention and a lot of volunteering opportunities at SWTC and in our local communities.

I am most proud of being a Southwest Tech alumna and faculty member. The college has been a part of my life since I was in high school. Without Southwest Tech and its many connections, I would not be as successful in my dreams and goals as I am today.