Student Spotlight - John Apple

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I’m a 37-year-old male happily married to my wife, who is an aircraft mechanic at Vertex Aviation in Burlington. My wife and I just had our first child, Zoey, on Oct. 1 of last year.

I was a Sonar Technician in the Navy from 2010 to 2020, where I served on two destroyers out of Norfolk, Va. On those destroyers, I went on three deployments, two to the Mediterranean Sea and one to the Arabian Gulf. After that, I was stationed out here on Whidbey Island for 3.5 years, which is how I ended up in the great state of Washington. We now live in Smokey Point where I continue to be a Navy Reservist.

Why did you choose to attend EvCC?

Because, while I was researching nursing programs, I learned how respected and incredible Everett Community College's nursing program is viewed.

How did EvCC's Worker Retraining office help you?

After I left active-duty service in February 2020, I was an unemployed full-time student as I worked through the prerequisites for the EvCC Nursing Program. I am using my Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits to pay for college.

The Worker Retraining Program assisted me in filing the paperwork needed to apply for the Washington State Training Benefits program. [Editor's note: This program through Washington's Employment Security Department allows students to collect unemployment while attending school.] The program will benefit me (if I get approved) by providing us a small amount of income, which will help pay for child care and bills and whatnot.

What are your educational and career plans?

My end goal is to complete the registered nurse program at EvCC, earning an associate degree, and then get my Bachelor of Science in nursing through the Nursing Scholars program that the University of Washington-Bothell offers in conjunction with EvCC.

What interested you about the nursing program?

I’ve been interested in the medical fields for as long as I can remember, even going so far as to get my bachelor's of science degree in psychology way back when. However, I became interested in nursing in particular after joining the Navy and realizing how much care is needed for those that are serving, and how much that care should be provided not by the doctors in a clinical fashion, but by the nurse corps at the bedside. That belief is still with me today.

How do you think the skills you're learning at EvCC are helping you reach your goals?

All of the skills that I’m currently learning will be directly applied to my goal career of nursing. However, going beyond the obvious applications, it’s the manner of thinking that is being taught and the multiple ways to solve any given problem that will allow my cohort and myself to not only succeed, but thrive in any nursing specialty.

Describe the best experience you've had at EvCC.

Easy. First quarter of the nursing program. All of it. As stressful as it is, the amount of support we’re surrounded by both in and out of the classroom is spectacular.

Who has helped you succeed at EvCC? What did that person do to help you?

The first name that comes to mind when this question is asked is Erica Rodriguez, a fellow classmate, who has been the one who not only answered various questions I had about financial programs, but hand walked me to (Workforce Funding Program Specialist) Jessica Manfredi’s office to get the ball rolling there.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my family for their moral support, the professors of all of my classes, (Nursing Faculty Member) Shannon Wilner as my expert advisor who set in place the plan that got me into the nursing program. And of course, Jessica Manfredi, for setting me up for success with Worker Retraining Program.

What advice do you have for new students?

Don’t get so wrapped up in your classes that you forget to take care of yourself. Your energy is like a glass full of water. It does get empty, so make sure you do those things that refill your glass.