A Practical Nursing Graduate’s Journey Inspired by Her Son’s Diagnosis

Vanessa Calderon (Philadelphia, Bordentown Regional High School) graduated with her degree in Practical Nursing after the Fall 2025 semester.

Vanessa Calderon lives her life in survival mode. There’s a dozen or more moments where she could’ve lived in a state of continual tears. Through all of life’s tests, Calderon looks to her son for inspiration.

In 2021, he was born premature at 34 weeks and spent weeks at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. A year later, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

“He’s all of my strength,” Calderon said. “I couldn’t cry all the time. When I need to stay positive, I think of him.”

Today, Roman is your typical three-year-old boy who races around the house and eats chicken nuggets and French fries as his comfort food. He watches Bluey and throws basketballs around the house. Throughout his journey, Roman became something else for Calderon – career inspiration.

“Being around Roman and his care team showed me how important and impactful medical care is,” Calderon said. “That experience is what really made everything click for me and, as Roman’s mom, I’ve been deeply involved in his care. That experience showed me the power nurses have, not just medically, but emotionally and practically and it made nursing feel like the right path for me.”

While working and being a single mother, Calderon graduated from Manor College this past December with her Associate’s Degree in Practical Nursing, a member of the inaugural cohort of Practical Nursing students.

“It’s bittersweet,” Calderon said. “It feels good to be ready to go out into the world, but I feel sad that I can’t come here to take classes anymore.”

Vanessa Calderon and her son, Roman, during the Practical Nursing ceremony in 2025.

Calderon called Manor her second home. She first discovered the institution through her cousin, Xavier Delgado, who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 2022. Calderon started with the intention of enrolling in a Pre-Nursing program, but moved to Practical Nursing because the route to a job was quicker.

But the road wasn’t easy. On top of Roman’s care, Calderon faced academic challenges including her toughest class, Pharmacology. On multiple occasions, she questioned whether nursing was for her. When those times arose, other people at Manor College gave her the boost she needed.

Before the Fall 2025 semester, she emailed her advisor, Professor Michael Landis. Calderon doubted that she could graduate due to the difficulty of the upcoming classes and asked about how her credits would transfer to other degrees. Landis replied to the email, “I am confident that you will do well, pass your licensure exam and be out there in the field.”

There was another time, when Calderon worked in the library and Head Librarian Sarah Baum hung up the “Believe” sign from the TV show Ted Lasso above Calderon’s desk. She’d make little cards with the same sign and hand them to Calderon when she needed the boost.

On her last day at Manor, she walked into the library at night. It was quiet and empty as she filmed a short TikTok with the words, “POV: Last day of work study and all the memories are hitting at once.” The thoughts of hard work, accomplishment and support nearly brought her to tears.

“You don’t get that everywhere,” Calderon said. “Being here, it was my comfort zone. There’s just something about Manor where you don’t want to leave. It’s my safe space.”