06/02/2026
Ain’t Nothing To It But To Do It: The Determination By Shareeka Cue
There are moments in life when everything seems to stack against you. Grief. Responsibility. Exhaustion. In those moments, the path forward can feel impossible to see, let alone walk. For Shareeka Cue, that path did not just feel difficult. At times, it felt unimaginable. And yet, step by step, she kept going.
At 39 years old, Shareeka is a mother of eight, a full-time worker, and now, a graduate of Northeastern Technical College’s Associate Degree Nursing program. Her journey into nursing was not sparked by a single moment, but by a lifetime of observation, love, and determination.
Growing up, Shareeka watched the people she loved most navigate serious health challenges. Her father endured multiple open-heart surgeries. Her grandmother battled chronic illness. In their home, health was not an abstract concept. It was personal. It shaped how they lived, how they ate, and how they cared for one another.
“My mom completely changed how we ate,” Shareeka recalled. “We didn’t grow up on junk food. Everything was intentional.”
That awareness stayed with her. Years later, while working as a pharmacy technician for eight years, she saw a different side of the same story. She watched patients leave with ten or more medications, managing conditions that had progressed quietly over time.
“I wanted to be part of the change,” she said. “I wanted to help people before it got to that point. Or even if it had, to help them believe it didn’t have to stay that way.”
But deciding to pursue nursing was only the beginning. What followed was a journey marked not just by academic rigor, but by life’s heaviest realities.
Shareeka entered the nursing program while balancing full-time work, sometimes even holding two jobs. At home, she was raising eight children. During this time, she was also navigating a divorce, working to hold her family together while rebuilding her own life.
“School wasn’t the hardest part,” she said. “It was everything else that happened once I started.”
Even in the midst of chaos, she found strength in the people around her. Her mother became a steady source of support. And her 16-year-old son stepped into a role far beyond his years, helping care for his younger siblings, making sure homework was done, meals were prepared, and routines stayed intact while his mother worked and studied.
“He sacrificed a lot,” Shareeka said. “He didn’t have to, but he did.” Still, the most difficult chapter of her journey came when her father’s health began to decline. As his condition worsened, Shareeka found herself balancing school, work, motherhood, and caregiving. Days were filled with responsibilities. Nights were filled with worry. And in the back of her mind, she knew what was coming.
“We all knew,” she said quietly. “That was the hardest part.”
When her father passed away, the weight of that loss was overwhelming. Sitting on his porch the night before an exam, she questioned how she could possibly move forward.
And then she heard his voice.
“Ain’t nothing to it but to do it.”
It was a phrase he had told her countless times throughout her life. Simple. Direct. Unwavering. In that moment, it became everything. The next morning, still carrying her grief, Shareeka showed up and took her exam.
“I didn’t think I could do it,” she said. “But I knew he would want me to.”
She passed.
From that point on, those words became her anchor. In moments of doubt, exhaustion, and fear, she returned to them again and again. Just do it. That quiet resilience carried her through the remainder of her program. Through long nights, early mornings, and days that seemed to stretch beyond what felt possible.
Along the way, she was not alone. Her sister, who was pursuing her own nursing path, became both a source of encouragement and a partner in the journey. The two leaned on each other through exams, stress, and shared determination. In a full-circle moment, Shareeka had the honor of pinning her sister at her nursing ceremony.
“That meant everything to me,” she said.
Today, as a graduate preparing to begin her career in the ICU, Shareeka is stepping into a future that once felt uncertain. “It still feels surreal,” she admitted. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel real yet.” But what does feel real is the impact of her journey. “The biggest thing for me is knowing that my story has inspired someone else,” she said. “That’s what means the most.” For her children, her accomplishment is more than a degree. It is a living example of perseverance, sacrifice, and strength.
“They’ve seen everything,” she said. “And I want them to know they can do anything. If I can do it, anybody can.”
Looking ahead, Shareeka plans to continue her education and pursue her long-term goal of becoming a midwife. Her passion for helping others, combined with her lived experience, is already shaping the kind of nurse she will become.
Her advice to others walking a similar path is simple, but powerful. “It won’t last forever,” she said. “You can do anything for a little while. Just get started. That’s the hardest part.”
And if she could say one thing to her father today?
“I’d tell him I did it,” she said. “And I’m okay.”
In a journey defined by love, loss, and relentless determination, Shareeka Cue did more than earn a degree. She built a future for her family. She honored her father’s legacy. And she became a source of inspiration for everyone who hears her story.
