New Direction: Billy Jo Hodges Returns to School with NC Boost

Before starting at Forsyth Tech this fall, Billy Jo Hodges had already had a full career working as a nurse and clinical care manager. Originally from Mount Airy, in Surry County, Hodges brings a particular perspective to the adult-learner experience — one shaped by returning to school later in life, after a career, after a health crisis, after starting over more than once. Hodges is able to return to school with the support of a scholarship from the NC Community Colleges Boost program. The NC Boost scholarship is designed to quickly move students into high-wage, high-demand careers by providing one-on-one advising, academic support and financial help.

“Given the opportunity to go back to school, NC Boost met my financial needs — I wouldn’t be able to afford to go to school without it.”

Nearly five years ago, Hodges was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a cancer that required major surgery to remove most of her femur. A second surgery followed six months later to remove additional tumors. What came next was more than a year of physical therapy and significant movement restrictions.

A third surgery this past summer was designed to prevent further dislocations and restore more freedom of movement. Hodges is still healing and back in physical therapy, relearning to walk for the third time. But something about this recovery felt different. “This promise of a more normal life after the last surgery sparked my decision to get back to work,” she said. “I wanted to shift my life and career in a different direction, and I have time to return to school and activate that shift.”

That decision led her to Forsyth Tech, where she is pursuing an Associate in Science. She has enrolled in a range of science classes and in classes on another of her passions —  horticulture. The transition back to school has not been without adjustment. The college’s eight-week course blocks, rather than a traditional full semester, made her nervous at first. But she has adapted. “I’ve gotten better at time management since classes began,” she said. Biology has emerged as her favorite challenge. 

Hodges first heard about Boost at orientation. What caught her attention was not just the financial support — it was the promise of intensive advising, something she felt she genuinely needed at this stage of her life. To her surprise, during her intake appointment, she discovered there was already money in her account to help cover tuition. Since then, Boost’s support has taken other forms as well. She has appreciated ongoing touches, such as emails from her advisor flagging opportunities to connect with future employers.

Hodges’ path back to the classroom has not been a straight line. But with Boost behind her, she is building toward whatever comes next. Hodges plans to transfer to a four-year university once she completes her degree at Forsyth Tech. Asked what she would say to a student who has not yet applied to Boost, her answer is clear: just apply. For other adult learners considering the same leap, she has similar advice: go for it. She points to her own orientation group as proof that it is never too late — noting that several students were older than she is.

Boost is available at select North Carolina community colleges in high-demand fields and puts students on a clear, accelerated path to a degree. For more information about NC Boost and eligibility requirements, take a look here.