Student Spotlight

As a youngster, Al Bortel loved science in school.

"I've always liked challenging myself," he said, "and I wanted a career in medicine."

He was in college only briefly before he dropped out, got married, started a family — and worked in business management for twenty years. When he made major changes in his life, a friend encouraged him to renew his interest in health care. Now Al is an RN in an intensive care unit, and he has enrolled in the Penn State World Campus RN to BS in Nursing program. 

"I want to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Getting a bachelor's degree in nursing is a major step toward that certificate. Penn State World Campus had the best program for getting my degree."

Working full-time in the high-pressure environment of his workplace and having a family with its own hectic schedule, Al wasn't ready to start commuting again to traditional classes.

"Flexibility is one of the main things I like about the World Campus — plus the quality of education you get online."

"When I did commute to classes, my wife and I hardly saw each other. Now I'm carrying 9 credits and I have a life," Al added. "I don't have that commitment of time that I had with travel to and from classes and sitting in a classroom." He especially enjoys having the freedom to study when it suits his schedule. "I can work around my family being at home."

Al is impressed with the quality of his World Campus education.

"Interaction with professors and other students has been great. They've all been just excellent."

The flexibility that enables him to study wherever and whenever it suits him has made the critical difference for Al, who said, "Penn State Online has allowed me to work full-time, educate part-time, and spend time with my family — and do all those other things in life!"