When William Leitzman made a decision to change his career path to nursing, he did a detailed search for the best options in Minnesota. After considering several factors, including cost, National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rates and quality of program, Normandale was his choice.
William graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2008 with a degree in philosophy and the University of Missouri in 2012 with a master's in education, and taught English South Korea for 14 years. He started as an assistant professor teaching English at a university, and worked his way up to head professor (equivalent to a department chair) of the International Relations Department.
During the end of his time in South Korea, William wanted to do something new with his career. He was originally from Minnesota and started researching nursing programs around the state. That is when he stumbled upon the fact that Normandale graduates had the highest average pass rate among two-year college nursing programs on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become a registered nurse.
“I was considering a lot of different options, but when I saw Normandale had the highest pass rate on the NCLEX I started looking deeper into it as a program,” said Leitzman. “I saw people’s reviews of their experiences in the nursing program and they had good things to say. As an added bonus, it was significantly more affordable than some of the bachelor’s program options I was exploring. I thought the combination of being affordable and one of the better programs in the state was a good one. I didn’t know a lot about nursing school at the time, so I went with my gut instinct and chose Normandale.”
After finishing his prerequisites, Leitzman was accepted into the program. He got involved right away by facilitating a supportive group for his cohort, starting a WhatsApp chat that everyone joined, and helping start an active study session group. He was also Co-President of the Nursing Club.
“I really wanted to get involved in the program, because my experience as a teacher made me really like being part of the process of helping others around me learn and develop,” said Leitzman.
During his time in the program, William had a deep appreciation for the students in his cohort, and really enjoyed the diversity of the group.
“We were a diverse group of students in so many different ways,” said Leitzman. “The age range was something like 18 to 44, and we had individuals from a variety of backgrounds. The cohort was extremely close and helped each other in a number of different ways. There was a lot of mutual respect, because the coursework in the program is really hard and there is a bond through the shared experience.”
William graduated in May 2026, and has advice to others as he reflects back on the big change he made to go from teaching in South Korea to pursuing a degree in Nursing at Normandale.
“I think my life is made up of situations where I have taken big leaps and then done my best to adjust and navigate,” said Leitzman. “If I were to give advice to anyone thinking of making a big life or career change, I would say to understand that many others have done it before you and it is possible. We all get used to whatever circumstances we are doing in life, and it is hard to make changes. However, as long as it is a calculated risk and you have a plan to succeed, you can make the big change you want to pursue.”
William started working as a registered nurse at Park Avenue Center in the Addictions Clinic in June. The focus of his job is patient education and working one-one-one with them. He helps them with understanding the comorbidities of substance use disorder and meets their healthcare needs. Leitzman appreciates the variety of experiences the Nursing program prepared him for moving forward in his career.
“There are so many different things you can do in Nursing,” said Leitzman. “I am going to be using the soft side of nursing skills in this position. I am interested in community health and helping underserved populations. I am excited about this position, and I think it aligns with my original goals when I decided to start the nursing program.”
As William reflected after his graduation, he was appreciative of the experiences at Normandale and said he would make the decision to go through the program again.
“I had some very high-quality instructors in the Nursing Program, and I was happy with my experience at Normandale,” said Leitzman. “Overall it was such a supportive environment. There seems to be a lot of effort and care put into ensuring students succeed. There were a lot of resources available, and I know a lot of students who took advantage of them, and I think it helped them to succeed and be nurses today.”
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