May 14, 2019
The following article is from Gwinnett Daily Post
When Nerissia Troutman decided at age 42 to make a career change, she knew it wouldn't be the easiest decision.
"I was a little nervous," Troutman said of enrolling in Norcross' Altierus Career College. "However, I was thrilled at the future I was making."
Soon after attending her first few classes in the school's medical billing and coding program, Troutman knew she'd made the right decision.
"I was so excited that I went home every day talking about the school," she said.
Troutman's daughter, Sequoia Mabry, who lived with her parents at the time, saw her mother's excitement and inquired about Altierus, Troutman said.
"Sequoia tried traditional college twice without success," Troutman said. "I told her about Altierus and the programs offered. I explained how quickly she could finish a program and, most importantly, have the education and credentials she needs to support herself and her child."
Given her mother's excitement, Mabry enrolled.
"Before deciding to attend Altierus, we both had tried college unsuccessfully; we had both started but never finished for one reason or another," Troutman said. "Altierus just fit everything that we were looking for."
Troutman, who has since graduated — she's now working at Bioconfirm Laboratories — said the experience of attending school with her daughter was a unique one.
"Because my daughter lived at home with my husband and I, we rode to school together each day," Troutman said. "We would quiz each other throughout the entire program. We even had a little competition to keep us motivated."
Mabry, who is enrolled in the dental assistant program, is set to graduate this month — an important feat for the 21-year-old mother, and something Troutman said was made possible by Altierus' uniqueness.
"The length of the programs were long enough to learn what you need but not so long that you would get bored or discouraged about the finish line," Troutman said. "Altierus was able to offer me, a 42-year-old mother and wife, the same convenience and opportunity it offered a 21-year-old single mother like my daughter."
For more information about the college and its programs, visit altierus.edu.