CFCC alumni strikes gold with UNC-Charlotte 49ers
Ismael Urbina enrolled at Cape Fear Community College with three goals in mind.
- Reduce the cost of college.
- Raise his grade point average to help him achieve his third goal:
- Enter a nursing program.
He succeeded at all three. With stops at UNC-Chapel Hill and Johns Hopkins University, Urbina’s now on his way to a career as a nurse anesthetist.
“CFCC helped ease the transition both academically and financially,” shared Urbina. “Overall, CFCC allowed me to receive an affordable education without sacrificing quality.”
From Cape Fear to Chapel Hill
It was after Urbina discovered he could earn his Associate of Science degree at CFCC and then transfer to a 4-year university to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing that he knew CFCC was the perfect fit. Starting at CFCC enabled Urbina to strengthen his GPA and ensure his admittance into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.
CFCC’s Associate of Science degree program aligned perfectly with nursing requirements. By his graduation date, Urbina boosted his GPA to 3.9 and was well on his way to UNC-Chapel Hill.
“The courses at CFCC helped me transition to UNC-Chapel Hill,” Urbina explained. “There were a lot of great instructors at Cape Fear Community College. I enjoyed the science and math courses because of how well they were taught and how passionate the instructors were.”
In addition to CFCC, Urbina credits his success to his high school mentor and health science teacher, Mary Maroudis, at Hoggard High School in Wilmington.
“Finding a great mentor can make a huge difference,” shared Urbina. “My mentor supported me along this long and challenging journey. I would not be in the position I am in today without the instructors and teachers I met along the way.”
“Ismael worked his way through extremely competitive and arduous college classes to reach his goal,” shared Maroudis. “Ismael is the classic example of the American dream to learn, work, and persevere to achieve your goals. Starting at Cape Fear Community College opened the door to his dream!”
Passion Close to Home
Urbina’s journey started with a passion. His sister’s battle with epilepsy inspired him to reach out to his high school health science teacher for guidance and join the HOSA-Future Health Professionals club to gain more knowledge of the industry. He also joined forces with the Epilepsy Alliance of North Carolina. This partnership with the Epilepsy Alliance helped Urbina establish a local epilepsy support group sponsored by the Alliance. Urbina continued to lead the support group during his enrollment at CFCC.
Paving the Path for Success
In summary, all his hard work paid off. After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with his Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Urbina moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to work in the Cardiovascular Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
He worked as a travel nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina, preparing for the next step in his nursing career. What’s more? Urbina has been accepted into the Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia (CRNA) program at UNC-Charlotte.
“I have only great things to say about CFCC, and I believe it paved the path for me to be where I am today,” Urbina concludes.
If you would like to learn more about CFCC’s University Transfer programs, click here.
