SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — As the need for nurses grows across the Capital Region, Sunday afternoon marked a milestone moment for nearly 200 Maria College graduates at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center during the 2026 commencement ceremony. For many of them, the path to this moment was anything but traditional.
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Andrea Pokhai was one of those graduates. While some students are just starting life on their own, 36-year-old Andrea already had her hands full: “Being there for my daughter, softball games and all, being there as a wife for my husband, and working full time,” she explained.
Andrea attended Maria back in 2008, but decided to come back to further her degree. And she wasn’t alone. Andrea said that she met her best friend, Zia-ne Williams, on their first day of class. Both women are in their 30s and work full-time.
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“Zia-ne has been my rock. She has lifted me up when I felt like I was falling, literally melting, and I couldn’t have done this without her,” said Andrea. Zia-ne continued, “I’m always going to be there for her regardless, even though we’re done with school.”
Zia-ne’s goal is to be a nurse practitioner, and she said that it’s partially due to Maria’s day, night, and weekend programs. She continued, “It was very flexible, and it was very accommodating for my schedule with working as a full-time charge nurse, so it was something that worked very well for me,”
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This comes at a time when the Capital Region has been in need of nurses. Last year, the Albany County Executive’s office said that the state could face a shortage of 30,000 nurses by 2030…