Aretta Williams Earns Her Nursing Degree

Aretta Williams has always had a nursing career in the back of her mind. She first considered it as an undergraduate at East Carolina University, then talked herself out of it. She changed majors more than once, convincing herself it wasn’t the right time.

“I was terrified,” she admitted. “I kept hearing how hard it was.”

She eventually graduated from ECU with a degree in anthropology and a minor in criminal justice, focusing on forensic anthropology. She later earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from Clark Atlanta University and spent several years working in corrections, including five years at Central Prison in Raleigh.

After becoming a mother to her first child, Aretta returned to her hometown of Wallace and took a job as a social worker with child protective services. Still, nursing never entirely left her thoughts. She had been hearing about Cape Fear Community College’s nursing program, and the idea had stuck with her.

Eventually, she applied and was accepted, starting in January 2024.

A Village Steps In

A single mom of two, Aretta, lived about 45 minutes from campus. Some classes started early. Clinicals stretched long. She quickly found herself questioning how she would make it all work.
“Who’s going to get the kids to school and daycare?” she remembered thinking. “How am I going to work, commute, study, and still be there for my kids?”

What she realized early on was that she couldn’t do it alone.

“I needed my village,” she said.

“I didn’t want to worry my mom because she helped me out a whole lot being a single parent,” Aretta said. “But she just stepped up immediately. She took care of the school drop-offs for me. The daycare my son attends could also transport my daughter to school, and they’d drop them back off with my mom in the afternoon.”

Support That Brought Stability

The program itself pushed her in ways she hadn’t experienced before.

“Getting through each semester was huge for me,” she said. “The first semester was hard especially adjusting to how the tests were made. I wanted to give up after the first couple of tests.”

In the midst of trying to find her footing, she lost her job.

“I remember thinking, How am I going to pay for this? How am I going to keep going? I had to trust that if this was where God wanted me, He was going to make a way.”

That’s when support from The Endowment and CFCC’s scholarships stepped in. Housing assistance helped cover monthly expenses. Gas cards eased the cost of her long commute. Financial support allowed her to stay enrolled and focus on her studies without taking on additional work.

“During my entire time in the program, I wasn’t behind on any bills,” she said. “Not once. It was a blessing.”

The stability allowed her to stay present not only as a student but as a mom.

“My children got everything they needed,” she said. “Nothing really changed for them except that mommy had to study. They’d be sitting in the chair with me while I was studying.”

A Career in Hospice Care

In December 2025, Aretta graduated from CFCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program.

Now, she’s beginning her nursing career with Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, working in hospice. It’s a setting that feels aligned with both her life experience and her values.

“I like being able to build relationships and have more one-on-one time,” she said. “I want to meet people where they are. I want to make sure their final moments are peaceful, comfortable, no chaos, no stress.”

When she reflects on everything it took to get here, her thoughts always come back to her children.

“I hope they remember seeing me do this,” she said. “I hope they know they can do anything they put their mind to, no matter what they’re facing. Push through it and keep God first.”