HCC Nursing Alumni Build a Legacy of Greatness and Giving

In 2002, the HCC accelerated nursing program became a pathway to success for alums Alfred and Jane Ezekwesili and served as the foundation for their American dream.

“The accelerated nursing program set the pace for everything I did going forward,” said Alfred. “That challenge structured the way I looked at life moving forward because either you are all in or don’t even bother.”

His wife Jane, a traditional nursing major, convinced Alfred it was possible. Like most young couples and student parents, they had to overcome barriers to complete their academic journey.

“I started in the LPN program and completed the RN program a year after he completed the accelerated nursing program,” said Jane. “I had gotten pregnant with my first son while getting ready to take the LPN boards. I got pregnant with my second son getting ready to take the RN boards.”

Both Alfred and Jane worked several jobs while at HCC, pooling their resources to make ends meet. However, the struggle wasn’t new to this Nigerian family, who came to America with degrees in business marketing and economics and a registered business.

“We planned to implement our business plan from the ground up,” Jane added. “We quickly realized that our degrees weren’t going to take us where we wanted to go.”

Alfred and Jane discovered that their business plan didn’t translate to the American industry, which caused them to reevaluate their goals.

“What I wanted to do in Nijeria, I could not do here because it was high-end, massive and the investment was too much,” said Alfred.

“So, we had to sit down and speak our truths,” said Jane. “We asked ourselves ‘what we can do now that’s fast paced?’ We looked at our options in the health care industry and nursing seemed to be most versatile with the shortest time frame to get into the workforce and make a decent living.”

As Howard County residents, enrolling in the HCC nursing program was a no-brainer, regardless of the academic and financial commitment. However, they met new friends and discovered a community of other immigrants at HCC, including Ghanaians and Nigerians who were also enrolled in the nursing program and shared available funding opportunities with the couple.

“The grants and scholarships helped us when I had to give up my job to complete the accelerated nursing program,” said Alfred. “Living on one income was difficult. But knowing that we didn’t have to carry the weight of paying for school and books helped.”

The couple eventually received financial support from Dorothy and Alva Baker, William T. Manning and the HCC Trustees endowments, as well as scholarships.

“We had to pace ourselves to get through school with our other financial commitments such as rent and groceries,” said Jane. “But we were going to make it work regardless of whether it’s through our first, second or third jobs. It was the decision we made even if we had to take one course per semester.”

While at HCC, the focused duo had no time for clubs or other student life activities. They were full speed ahead on the pathway to success. After graduating from HCC, Alfred and Jane set out to take over Maryland’s health care industry.

“Going to HCC and getting nursing degrees was at first about a job,” said Jane. “But we quickly got into the workforce and realized this is good, but this is not what we wanted.”

Jane’s last job as a home health nurse was where she started to see the other side of health care, the business side.

“I would come home and tell my husband how excited I was to see how it worked,” said Jane. “That’s what kicked off our interest to pursue nursing businesses.”

Today, the longtime Howard County residents own three health care businesses, including one for individuals with special needs and disabilities. They also offer in-home health services and manage a psychiatric rehabilitation program.

“We are truly grateful to have a life that only existed in our dreams and to have overcome challenges that felt insurmountable at the time,” said Jane. “HCC was the platform that led us to greater heights. We just want to say thank you, we are grateful.”

Alfred and Jane have created the Win Foundation to give back by naming spaces on campus to fund an endowment and a scholarship. They are also the presenting sponsor of the HCC 50th Anniversary Nursing Jubilee, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

“We give because we want to affect the system positively,” said Jane. “We want to give back to people who cannot access opportunity, especially since we are beneficiaries of someone else’s giving.”

Ezekwesili’s family legacy will be for the greater good, joining hands to give back to the HCC community.

“If we are able to inspire others to greatness, that will be our legacy,” said Alfred. “We are beneficiaries of someone who didn’t know us but knew that they were people who may not have the financial resources to follow their dreams. That did help us. If we are going to do that for others, even if they don’t know us or never heard about us, we want to assist them to become better, to achieve whatever their dreams are through the programs we support. That will be our legacy.”