Western Nevada grad, cancer survivor says ‘people should feel valued’
Western Nevada College graduate Sue Donaldson stands with Regent Carol Del Carlo and Dr. Vincent Solis Tuesday as she receives her Bachelor of Applied Science degree in construction management.
Western Nevada College graduate Susan Donaldson has much to celebrate this week: She received her job promotion about a month before her bachelor’s degree Tuesday. The two-time breast cancer survivor is looking forward to getting a little more sleep now that she won’t have to take so many classes and work nights all the time. She’ll also put her management skills to good use that she worked hard to learn through WNC and apply with her position with the Nevada Department of Transportation. The half-Native American woman who has been in construction for 27 years said she decided to go back to school in 2018 for advancement, but getting hired as a field inspector for NDOT at first wasn’t too hard when she originally applied, Donaldson said. The former Lovelock resident had previous experience as a surveyor at a gold mine, which made her a more attractive candidate, she said. But becoming a female inspector when she tried to was a little more difficult. Donaldson’s father, retired now, was an iron worker for 53 years. He and most of her family came from South Dakota while her mother was from a reservation. Donaldson was on assignment for NDOT in Lovelock in her early years for the department, but now she lives in Carson City with her family. “When I got into it, it seemed like a good path for me for being in construction as long as I’ve been in it,” she said. “A lot of things have changed since then. It’s a much better atmosphere.” She has loved being a part of NDOT, but she became ready for management – and she wanted a college degree. She turned to Western Nevada College for a bachelor of applied science in construction management. “I have, I really, really have (enjoyed the program), and I have had some excellent teachers – Dr. (Georgia) White, Vivian Austin, Sharon Morgan. Most of those classes were management style classes.” Donaldson said she gained skills and insights applicable to her career to make the next step, applying real professional situations in useful ways. She declared at WNC in 2018, where she began taking six classes per semester. Donaldson worked at night after getting off at 4 a.m., going to class, sleeping only a few hours and returning to work. “You don’t do anything else,” she said of her studies and work. She also described how her son had lost his job due to COVID-19 and had his wife and two children living with Donaldson at the same time. “My office was my quiet place,” she said. Although it required some personal sacrifice, she worked and studied hard simultaneously, always keeping a focus on what kind of manager she would want to be. “I’m excited to get into management,” she said. “Your people have to feel valued. They have to feel respected and they have to know whatever their contributions, whatever suggestions they make matter.” She also is a breast cancer survivor, initially diagnosed in 2006 and again on June 10, 2014, her son’s birthday, she said, noting one doesn’t forget those dates. She said when she walked on Tuesday, she would be wearing her pink ribbon signifying awareness and solidarity for survivors as part of her graduation regalia. “It’s not a normal type of cancer,” she said. “It was difficult. I couldn’t get on normal hormonal therapy. It’s usually chemotherapy.” She said she’s thankful for the academic and professional opportunities she’s had to seek advancement and to have had supervisors and instructors who have pointed her in the right direction. “They supported and helped me a lot and flexed my schedule with my night shift,” she said. “You can only do so much with that for the two semesters I was on nights.” From her classes, she said, she learned the importance of establishing a better workplace by being a better manager. “Your most valuable assets are people,” she said, echoing advice she’s received. “Take care them, and they’ll take care of you.”
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