At 39, Tiffany Amoah is doing something she once thought might never happen. She's finishing college.
After years of working as a nurse, raising a family, and enduring the loss of both her father and her child, the cost of school had always forced her to stop short. Now, with the help of New York’s free-tuition program, she’s back at Onondaga Community College, determined to finish what she started.
Her path to a degree has been anything but linear. Amoah came to OCC right after graduating from Corcoran High School with plans to pursue a Business degree. But like many students balancing school and financial pressure, she quickly found herself pulled in another direction. “Paying for college was a huge barrier. I started working as an LPN (licensed practical nurse) to help pay for school. I got to a point where I was working more than I was at school. I knew I was never going to finish my degree.”
What began as a practical decision slowly reshaped her career. Amoah became a Certified Nursing Assistant and discovered she loved caring for people. That realization set her on a new path. She continued working while taking classes, eventually earning her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) credential.
She decided she would continue her education and become a Registered Nurse (RN), but life intervened. “There were a lot of breaks in my education. I had a child, my father passed, my child passed. There was just a lot of life happening.”
For years, her education came in fragments - semesters started, then paused. Responsibilities grew. Bills had to be paid. At one point, she was raising a son while working two jobs, trying to keep her long-term goal within reach. Through it all, the barrier remained the same: cost. “I never got any assistance. Paying for everything was always the issue.”
Still, she kept coming back. And after 15 years working as an LPN, she is closer than ever to becoming a registered nurse. She is on track to complete OCC’s Nursing program in December, a milestone that once felt uncertain. The program itself is demanding, she said, by design. “It’s intensive. There is convenience in it being self-study, but there’s a lot of pressure because you have very tight deadlines and a lot of material to cover. You are only as good as your last test. This program is all about grit.”
This time, however, Amoah isn’t carrying the burden alone. While searching for financial help, she began seeing mentions of a new initiative on social media that would eventually be known as SUNY Reconnect, a program offering free community college tuition for adult learners who have not yet earned a degree.
“I was looking for help, any type of financial assistance. I kept seeing it pop up, but I didn’t even know the name yet.” She called OCC’s Financial Aid office just as the program was getting off the ground and made sure she did everything necessary to qualify.
The timing changed everything. “The first semester I was paying out of pocket, then SUNY Reconnect kicked in. Thank God. It’s huge. It’s a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulder trying to balance everything.” The program covers tuition, fees, books, and supplies after other financial aid is applied, removing the very obstacle that had interrupted her education for years.
Outside the classroom, Amoah’s life is still full. She’s raising her 3-year-old son and managing the responsibilities of homeownership. But she’s no longer doing it alone. “You have to utilize all of your resources. I’m not a person who was good at asking for help, but my mom and my sister have stepped in. Reconnect kicked in. Whatever help you can get, every little thing helps.”
As she looks ahead, Amoah is already thinking beyond graduation. After completing her Nursing degree in December, she hopes to keep going and finish her Business degree. She's also developed a strong interest in psychiatric nursing, sparked during her prerequisite courses and confirmed during a clinical rotation at SUNY Upstate Medical University. “It went really well. It was an awesome experience. I’ve always been super interested in psychology. I’m very analytical.”
For now, though, her focus is on the finish line just ahead. “I came into this not fully confident it was going to work out, but it was worth the risk. I had to believe in myself.”
Her advice to others considering a return to school is simple and direct: “Just focus. Don’t give up. Take it and run.”
