Three sisters earn an associate degree in nursing at Robeson Community College

The unexpected has turned into a reality for three sisters in Robeson County. 

Dolly, 35, Loretta, 32, and Latasha Rice, 29, will become official graduates of Robeson Community College on May 8, earning an associate of applied science in nursing and all the rights thereof. 

The sisters say it’s been the journey of a lifetime, but it took a lot of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. 

“We applied to the program at different times, and got denied,” stated Loretta. “But I didn’t give up.”

Loretta says that they all applied together, and as fate would have it, they all got accepted. 

“It felt like it was meant to be for all three of us to do this together,” Loretta said. 

“We didn’t expect to be together,” Dolly added. 

“Both Loretta and Dolly called me and said ‘We got in,’” Latasha said. “I didn’t think all three of us would be accepted…but I checked my application on my phone, and it said I had been accepted too, I couldn’t believe it.” 

“It was just God’s timing.” 

Dolly Rice

“This was something that we always wanted to do, but becoming a young mother, I had to put my career to the side and I had to wait for my children to get older,” Dolly said. 

Dolly says she and her sisters grew up watching her mother serve as a caregiver.

“She was a Certified Nursing Assistant and she worked in hospice care,” Dolly said. “It takes a special kind of person to take care of people with illnesses.”

Dolly followed in her mother’s footsteps by becoming a CNA, a job she held for 12 years. She worked at various places including Home Health, Dignity, Scotland Memorial, MedAssist, and Hospice. 

“I wanted to become a nurse, but with two children, this was not an easy thing to do,” Dolly said. “Helping others has always been something that I enjoyed.”

As she started into the program, she quickly realized it wasn’t going to be easy.

“Robeson Community College is very strict, but they have to set boundaries,” stated Dolly. “It was very hard, I had to push myself… but the RCC instructors have set it up so that you are better prepared for when you graduate. They teach you how to be more confident.”

“I didn’t receive a lot of financial help, it was so hard on me, but I did this myself and for my children, Joshua and Maliyah.” 

The financial assistance she did receive came from the Lumbee Tribe Vocational Rehabilitation and LRDA.

“I am so thankful that they helped me with gas vouchers and paying tuition,” Dolly stated. “That was a blessing.” 

Dolly wants to go into Med Surge to gain more experience before going into the Emergency Department and then possibly into Hospice. 

“I have a passion for Hospice,” Dolly said. 

Dolly has several interviews planned and hopes to work at Scotland Health or UNC Health Southeastern. 

“You don’t think you can do it, but here I am, I did it, I’m at the finish line,” Dolly said. “It was all so very challenging in my mind… it goes to show, you are never too old.”

“This experience has definitely brought us closer to God, and closer to each other,” Dolly said. “If God be for you, who can possibly be against you?”

Loretta Rice

Loretta came into the ADN program as an LPN. She currently works with IntelliChoices, a company that specializes in home health. Previously, Loretta has worked at Home Health, Dignity, and Primary Care. 

Like her mother, Loretta started out as a CNA.

“I enjoy encouraging others, and helping them,” Loretta stated. 

Seeking a better future, she applied to the LPN program at Robeson Community College. She graduated in 2019 with a diploma but felt something was missing. 

“Our father would encourage us to go back to college,” Loretta said. “He wanted to see all of us succeed, and my mother pushed us to work extra hard so we would have a better life.”

So, Loretta decided to go back to school. 

Throughout the nursing program, Loretta says that RCC instructors pushed her. 

“It wasn’t a pat on the back,” Loretta said. “Being the way that they are, it was kind of like being in the military, but going through all of that was worth it.”

“There were little things that didn’t make sense to me in the beginning,” Loretta said. “But they make sense now.” 

“Our instructors told us to ‘trust the process’ and that’s what we all did,” she stated. “The main goal was focused on the NCLEX and achieving a 100% pass rate… we practice questions every day.”

As graduation quickly approaches, Loretta says the time spent at Robeson Community College has been worth it. 

“We wouldn’t be here without God,” Loretta said. “There were times when I cried and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t get something, but I kept praying and here we are… I’ve learned that grades don’t define you, tests don’t define you… you have to have a passion for it, and you have to keep working at what you want to achieve and never give up.”

With her sisters by her side, Loretta says that the three of them would pray together before tests, even anointing each other with oil and writing out scripture with their names on it. 

“I have cried many nights…. I wanted this for myself,” Loretta said. “Thank God for partial credit and retests… every test brought us closer to God every day.”

“You have to believe in yourself, God will get you through it.”

In addition to her sisters, Loretta says she couldn’t have gotten to this point without the support of her other family members. 

“The love of my daughter, Aniyah, helped me get through the program, along with my future husband, Nicholas, who helped put me through school twice,” Loretta said. 

Latasha Rice

Latasha also followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a CNA, working for Scotland Health, Hospice, and MedAssist. 

“I love helping people, caring for people,” Latasha stated. “I wanted to be able to do more.”

Determined, Latasha set out to make a difference, with hopes of one day becoming a nurse. 

“We had a sister that is no longer with us who died in my arms… it triggered something in me… I felt hopeless but now I have gained knowledge and learned more so that I can know what to do to help others,” Latasha said. 

Dolly, Loretta, and Latasha lost their sister to suicide, it’s a hard subject for them to talk about, even to this day. 

“It was very hard to go over that subject in class,” Latasha said. “But it’s something that more people need to talk about.”

With one child to care for, Latasha knew the road ahead would challenging, saying, “I wanted a better life for my son, Preston…It has been a journey.” 

Now with another child on the way, and graduation in plain view, she knows all the hard work was all worth it.

“This has been awesome…This was a great experience, I am thankful to be here with my sisters, they pushed me more than myself, we did fuss and fight a little, but that’s to be expected.” 

After graduation, Latasha hopes to start working in med surge and then eventually make it over to the “Peds” floor. 

“I love children,” said Latasha.  

Latasha credits her family for her success, saying that her boyfriend Marcus contributed by helping her with studying and paying bills. She also thanks the Lumbee Tribe for their financial assistance through Vocational Rehabilitation. 

“I’m very thankful for the Lumbee Tribe,” she said.