Nelly Bernal Earned Her Degree to Inspire Her Family’s Next Generation

Nelly Bernal '25 traveled from the Westchester, New York, area to her Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) Commencement with her loved ones, including her nieces and nephews, for two reasons.

“A year ago, I lost my brother to cancer,” she said. “This was a great opportunity to be together with my family again, and to show the little ones that it could be done.”

Bernal is the first in her immediate family to earn a degree, and she said she sees her education as a privilege. “This is just a pathway for the next generation to continue and to do better than what I've done,” said Bernal.

Her SNHU Experience

Bernal’s journey to earning her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in General Studies at SNHU started with a career change. She had previously completed an associate degree in business administration, but after a nine-year career in insurance, she decided to move into the medical field, working as a nurse tech.

Since she had already earned an associate degree in business administration and had also taken prerequisites for nursing, Bernal opted to apply her existing credits toward a bachelor’s, with the goal of attending nursing school down the line.

During her program, she found a business law course especially beneficial. “It’s going to prepare me for any type of field,” she said.

She also said she felt supported along the way. According to Bernal, her advisor, Mickey Fisher, would call to check in at the start of each term to make sure she was ready to go. "I think SNHU has an amazing advising team," she said.

Overall, Bernal said the experience of earning her degree changed her. “I've seen myself grow more persistent as someone who wants to finish toward the end line,” she said. “The journey was all worth it.”

Rebecca Cahill '26 is a content marketing assistant and writer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). She completed her bachelor’s in creative writing and English at SNHU and is now pursuing a master's in English and creative writing. Based in Ohio, she has also written for FreshWater Cleveland and The Land and serves on the board of Literary Cleveland. When she’s not writing, you'll most likely find her nose in a book, dogs at her side, surrounded by way too many houseplants. Connect with her on LinkedIn.