Cleveland Graduate to Speak at National Commencement Ceremony

Sarah Talarico of Euclid, who fulfilled a decades-long dream of becoming a nurse and earned her master’s degree despite working full-time and helping her children navigate school during COVID-19, will speak about her experiences Saturday, February 20, at Western Governors University’s national Winter Virtual Commencement.

Talarico is one of two WGU graduates honored with an invitation to speak at the ceremony, which will celebrate the accomplishments of more than 1,300 students from 50 states. More than 7,500 guests are also expected to join the live event.

She will receive a Master of Science degree in nursing with an emphasis in leadership and management from the non-profit accredited online university.

“Of all the ambitious, self-starting women and men to earn degrees from WGU Ohio, we are especially proud of Sarah for her persistence in overcoming obstacles that might have otherwise kept her from achieving her dreams,” said K.L. Allen, chancellor of WGU Ohio.

Talarico, an operating room nurse at a major Cleveland hospital, has been in the healthcare field for almost 20 years, starting out as a nursing assistant. She attended Kent State University initially, but her work obligations meant she was unable to fulfill the clinical rotational requirements for a nursing degree.

She left school about the time she had her first child, but still dreamed of becoming a registered nurse. So she enrolled at Lakeland Community College and received an associate degree in 2016. She enrolled at WGU Ohio and received her bachelor’s degree in nursing in April 2019. She then enrolled in the master’s degree program.

Talarico’s husband is a heavy-equipment operator who has continued to work during the pandemic while she was at home to help their son and daughter with their online schoolwork. She took WGU Ohio courses on her own time because her hospital schedule of four, 10-hour shifts a week was unpredictable.

Talarico’s future aspirations continue to focus on the field of nursing.

“I want to change how we treat each other as nurses and emphasize the reasons we all decided to choose the profession of nursing,” she said. “I want to bring that back into the mix more and focus on building each other up. The healthcare field is difficult enough and you need a good support system.”

Saturday’s ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will stream live at wgu.edu/virtual. Some 691 undergraduate and 665 graduate degree recipients from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia are scheduled to participate. Approximately 71 percent of the winter term graduates come from at least one of the following historically underserved populations: first-generation college students, students of color, rural residents, and/or low-income earners. These graduates are earning degrees in business, K–12 education, information technology and health professions, including nursing.

The advantages of WGU, which currently serves more than 4,200 Ohio residents, include allowing students to earn their degrees by demonstrating what they know and can do (their competencies) instead of sitting in classes. WGU students move through courses at their own speed and pay a flat-rate tuition for each six-month session.

WGU was established in 1997 by a partnership of state governors to offer students, particularly adult learners, the chance to go to college while working and caring for their families. In 2018, Ohio became the eighth state to partner with WGU, part of efforts by policymakers to close Ohio’s skills gap with a new pathway for adults to seek careers in such in-demand careers as healthcare and nursing, business, teaching, and information technology.

The average age of WGU Ohio students is 37, and more than three-quarters work full time. Since its 2018 launch here, nonprofit WGU Ohio has significantly grown the number of college graduates in the Buckeye State by offering high quality, competency-based, online education that is both affordable and accessible for non-traditional students.