Finding The Right College Experience

At 22-years old, Chelsea Sestini had given post high school education a good try. She had been in and out of community college classes and had even done the online thing, but with little success.

“It just wasn’t working for me, and I felt like I was falling through the cracks,” says Chelsea.

Then, when her mom went back to college and became a Nurse Practitioner at age 52, Chelsea knew she had the role model and inspiration she needed to finally make it happen. She just needed to find the right education environment.

“I love the atmosphere here and everything is much more personal with such small class sizes,” she says .Chelsea felt right at home on SJVC’s Visalia campus and decided to enroll in the Business Administration program.

“The teachers are more like mentors, and if you get lost on the lessons, they are there until you get it.” Chelsea likes knowing that everyone in her class is doing what she is doing and at the same pace. She feels like they are developing friendships that could last a lifetime. “We have a real connection – kind of like a family, but without the bickering,” she laughs.

Chelsea especially likes wearing the BA uniform. “The uniform changes the way I think about school; I feel professional and proud to put it on,” she says.

Chelsea has a family of cheerleaders supporting her all the way. In addition to her mom, Chelsea’s husband, Shaun, and their two young children remind her that all of her hard work will be worth it.

Her advice to anyone afraid to go back to college: “Believe in yourself and just take that leap. Everything else will fall into place.”

The benefits of an educational experience within a Private College have all come together for Chelsea, who currently enjoys a 4.0 GPA. In fact, she has adjusted so well to academic life that she now has her eyes cast toward eventually getting her MBA.

But first she has another vision to complete – one more ‘uniform’ to wear when she walks across the stage and is awarded her AS degree at her graduation ceremony in September next year.

“I want to feel that pride and that smile on my face,” she says.