Victoria Winters
Bellwood, IL
distance education helped HER accomplish her goals despite illness and adversity
Victoria Winters, a Penn Foster High School graduate, was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2007 while attending a traditional high school. Despite a failed kidney transplant in 2012, she was determined to earn her high school diploma and enrolled with Penn Foster High School in 2013.
Battling kidney disease required Victoria to balance her studies with dialysis treatments, overnight hospital stays, and surgeries. At times, staying focused was emotionally and physically exhausting for her, but with the credits she was able to transfer from her previous high school to Penn Foster's self-paced, online high school program, she now had the flexibility to manage her health while continuing to study towards her diploma.
With the support of Penn Foster's Student Service and Academic teams and her friends and family, Victoria remained hopeful as she continued to manage her health and studies. In February 2018, she underwent a successful transplant. Six months later, she completed the Penn Foster High School program and earned her High School Diploma. Victoria is currently an undergraduate student studying Social Work, and hopes to help people facing obstacles similar to her own achieve their goals.
"My fight through this journey was about accomplishing my goals and living out my dreams despite the obstacles and adversity that life will throw at you."