Elana White had her first taste of the nursing profession through a Southside Virginia Community College dual enrollment Nurse Aide class she took at Bluestone High School. When she graduated high school in 2014, she had also earned a Career Studies Certificate in Nurse Aide and an Associate of Arts and Sciences in General Studies from SVCC.

Since then, she has worked as a Certified Nurse Aide and attended Averett University in Danville, Virginia. With so many credits from SVCC transferring, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Biology in three years, with honors.

She recently began working at Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital in South Boston in the Intensive Care Unit.

"The best advice I could give to students at SVCC is to never give up on their dreams and DO NOT be afraid to step out of their comfort zone. Anything you put your mind to you can do! Hard work and determination can get you a long way! I wish everyone success, " she said.

Long-term goals include becoming a nurse educator and working towards her Master of Science in Nursing degree. "My main career goals are to help save lives, assist patients to the best of my ability, and make someone's day," she concluded.