As a single mom to four-year-old Kaiden, Akia Huff was looking for a college that would allow her to slowly reenter the college environment after a few-year hiatus while keeping her on track toward becoming a nurse. Fortunately, Macomb was love at first sight.
“After taking a tour, I immediately fell in love with the school,” says Huff, 27 and a graduate of Crockett High School in Detroit. “I noticed that there were a lot of places on campus for students to study as well as hangout between classes. After speaking to an advisor about my career goals, I knew I made the right decision about Macomb.”
Huff also decided to pursue a paid work-study position and begins her second assignment in Student Life and Leadership (SLL) this spring. As a student assistant, she helps plan and coordinate student activities on South Campus, with a flexible schedule that accommodates her classes.
“I love the fact that the school has so many events and activities going on to help get students involved,” says Huff. “And working in SLL is such a blast.”
Huff became interested in nursing after working for three years as a caregiver to developmentally disabled adults and finding that her compassion made her well-suited to the job.
“I loved assisting in the care of each one of my patients,” says Huff. “And because of my love for helping people, I decided I wanted to make a career out of it.”
Huff intends to transfer to Oakland University to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing after she graduates from Macomb. Not wholly unlike one of her role models.
“My mom attended here before transferring to Siena Heights to get her master’s degree,” says Huff, “now I’m following in her footsteps.”