"We Did It": A Mother’s Alarm Clock, A Daughter’s Pride, A Dream Achieved

“We did it.” Those are the words that Luemettrea Williams shared with her daughter, Kaycen, after she crossed the stage and collected her diploma at this May’s Nashville State graduation.

Luemettrea’s story is that of hard work and focus; in her words, it all traces back to an alarm clock.

Born in Chicago, but living in Nashville nearly her entire life, Williams has worked in the medical field as a surgical tech and medical assistant at a local hospital and doctor’s office. With support from her boss, Luemettrea decided to bet on herself and return to college.

With family encouragement, she decided on Nashville State and its newly opened North Davidson campus in 2022. Williams said once she made the decision, she was all in.

“I set my alarm for midnight the first night of registration.”

With her attention to detail and knowing what she wanted, Williams was the first student to register for classes at the new campus.

As the first student, she attended the North Davidson campus grand opening, meeting college leadership and Metro Nashville leaders.

“Setting my alarm opened all kinds of doors for me,” Williams said.

“I was meant to be at Nashville State.”

In her first semester, she focused on her gen ed classes while continuing to work and raise her daughter, but she always knew that nursing was where she wanted to be.

From early in her Nashville State career, she attended every informational session about the nursing program. After applying, she was accepted In May of 2023.

“When I got my acceptance, my knees buckled, and I fell to the floor crying. I was so grateful for that.”

Being a full-time nursing student, working, and a mom isn’t for the faint of heart, but Williams said she was able to use the support around her to make it work.

“I was able to do it because I had a village,” Williams said. “Adapting to challenges forced me to grow.”

Williams continuously communicated with professors, met friends and created a study group to help her navigate the challenging program.

“If I was struggling, I would reach out to the professors,” Williams said. “There wasn’t a thing I couldn’t go to my professors about.”

Williams said that after finding a study group, things became easier for her. “I found my study group, we had fun, and we learned. Create your village.” 

“The lord places the right people around you,” Williams said.

However, Williams wanted her daughter to see her mom achieve something special through it all.

“I wanted her to see her momma never gave up.”

Williams graduated from the nursing program in May of 2025 and plans to continue her education and eventually earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing, focusing on pediatric mental health.

“You’re going to go on a journey. Don’t stop,” Williams said, offering words of encouragement to current and future students. “You may hit an obstacle, but don’t stop.”