Tennessee Reconnect Spotlight: Alexandra Lepley
February 12, 2022 | Betty A. Proctor | Press Release
![woman with a hat](https://chattanoogastate.edu/sites/default/files/styles/node_image/public/images/news-center/alexandra-lepley-slide.jpg?itok=LjY_pLdD)
Tennessee Reconnect Spotlight will feature a first-person story each Friday...
I began attending college straight out of high school like most other students, but I quickly found myself unmotivated. I was not sure what I wanted to major in, so I decided to stop attending school and work instead.
I worked for years in retail management and enjoyed it for a while. I found myself dreaming of going back to school and pursuing a career as a registered nurse. In the summer of 2020 when the pandemic was causing shutdowns and affecting retail in a negative way, I decided to take that as my sign to go back to school.
I registered for classes that fall and have been working on completing my prerequisites for the Registered Nursing program. When I first registered for classes and saw I did not qualify for any financial aid and was only offered student loans I began to second guess this decision. I wanted to pursue my goals, but I did not want to go into extreme debt while doing it. So, when I was told about the Reconnect program, I was ecstatic!
Reconnect is allowing me to pursue my goal of becoming a Registered Nurse while allowing me to provide for myself and my family after graduation instead of drowning in loan payments every month. I am happy to say I will complete my prerequisites this fall and apply for the Nursing program in March 2022.
---Alexandra Lepley