Feature Stories 2025: Candice Darteh '25: Possibilities through perseverance

Candice Darteh ‘25 learned the power of perseverance when she worked to get admitted to the nursing program during Covid. Now, through persistence, passion, and the support of College Now, Darteh has gone beyond what she thought was possible—and plans to continue doing so.

Why study nursing?

"My cousin is a doctor, and he owns a hospital in Ghana. He inspired me to get into the healthcare field. I started out volunteering in the cardiac ICU in high school, and then I got a personal care assistant (PCA) position in the pediatric field. I love being a PCA, and I love volunteering," said Darteh.

"I discovered that I love helping patients. I like how nurses can be advocates for people who are in a vulnerable place, and I want to be the voice for people who can't speak for themselves."

Seeing her cousin practice medicine in Ghana, Darteh was also inspired to enroll in the global health minor. "I want to do travel nursing and eventually go to different places in Africa to volunteer, including my cousin's hospital. Through the global health minor, I learned how people outside the U.S. receive care. It taught me about the differing needs of people in various countries and the healthcare issues that are more prominent in other places. That was interesting to me because of my family's work in Ghana," she said.

College Now community

Darteh enrolled in UMassD through the College Now program, an alternate admissions pathway that provides additional support to students who may benefit from enhanced academic resources.

"College Now is an alternative program to get your foot in the door at UMass Dartmouth. The reason I'm in College Now is because I wanted to enter the nursing program, but my SAT scores weren't as high as they needed to be," she said.

Through College Now, Darteh was admitted to UMassD and given support to achieve the requirements to join the nursing program. Her first year was entirely remote due to Covid, but she flourished despite the distance.

"My first year online was with College Now, so I was doing my prerequisite classes. It was challenging, but I worked hard and got a 3.8 GPA," she said.

"My experience with College Now has been amazing. Everyone is so supportive. They're like a family, and they're there for anything I need. I stop by every day to talk it out with the director, Craig Elkins, and all the counselors. The College Now community is what I'm going to miss most about UMassD, because they're such a familial group."

Learning through leadership

Darteh also worked as a peer mentor for the College Now program, where she aided first-year students.

"Through College Now I've learned to be a leader, which used to be out of my comfort zone. I don't like to put myself out there, but when Craig asked me to be a peer mentor, it helped me gain those leadership skills, have patience, and persevere through hardships."

Darteh was chosen to speak at the 2025 Share the Dream event, which is hosted annually by College Now. This event celebrates the success of past and present students in the program.

"Speaking in front of that many people is something that I never thought I would do, but I enjoyed being able to share my story and give the students I've mentored good advice. I'm really proud of what I've accomplished," she said.

Learning life-long skills as a college student

"My time at UMass Dartmouth has prepared me to work hard, keep persevering, be a leader, and go out there and be myself. Being a nursing student taught me that sometimes you're going to go through challenges, but you have to persevere."

"My advice is to work hard, because the results will show and you'll feel so good about yourself afterwards. Success doesn't mean you win all the time. You're going to fall. When you fall, being successful is about rising up again. Be hungry for success; you need to want it, and you have to work hard for it."

Beyond a BSN

"After graduation I plan to pass my NCLEX, begin working as a pediatric nurse, and start travel-nursing. My bachelor's degree isn't where I want to stop, so I plan on getting my master's. I know I have so much potential, so I want to further my education in nursing and see how far I can go!"

"My time at UMass Dartmouth has prepared me to work hard, keep persevering, be a leader, and go out there and be myself."