Allan Hancock College.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Darlene Littleberry may have started out at another school, but she found a home at California's Allan Hancock College. Four years ago, when Littleberry decided to go back to school, the college closest to her home didn't have one of the classes she needed, so she headed to Hancock. On Dec. 15 she graduated from its nursing program in a class of 40 students. After passing her board exams, Littleberry will become a registered nurse. It's been a long and difficult journey for Littleberry, 45 years old and the mother of six children, who worked 20 hours a week at the Atascadero State Mental Hospital while attending Hancock and earning a 3.7 GPA. In a lot of ways that's typical of students who pass through Allan Hancock College, and especially through the nursing program, according to Daphne Boatright, the school's director of registered nursing. Boatright said the majority of students in the nursing program work while going to school, many have families and more than a few graduated from high school long ago. While Littleberry has a lot in common with her fellow students, Boatright said, she also stands out because of her strength, her compassion and her drive.