--- title: "From Kenya to Campus President: Dr. Catherine Chege’s Journey to Nursing Education" url: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/dr-catherine-cheges-journey-to-nursing-education/" type: post date_published: 2026-05-11 date_modified: 2026-05-11 schema: @type: Article language: en-US word_count: 1004 reading_time: 6 min canonical: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/dr-catherine-cheges-journey-to-nursing-education/" featured_image: "https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Catherine-Chege-with-Las-Vegas-Nursing-School-Students.webp" categories: - Nursing School topic: - Nursing --- # From Kenya to Campus President: Dr. Catherine Chege’s Journey to Nursing Education ![Catherine Chege with Las Vegas Nursing School Students](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Catherine-Chege-with-Las-Vegas-Nursing-School-Students.webp) ![AZCN Las Vegas Campus President Catherine Chege](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AZCN-Las-Vegas-Campus-President-Catherine-Chege.webp?w=566) Catherine Chege, PhD, MBA, MHRM, the Campus President at [Arizona College of Nursing’s Las Vegas campus](https://arizonacollege.edu/las-vegas-nursing-school/) , didn’t always plan on a career in education. In fact, her family is still surprised that she runs a college today. “My whole family and friends laugh when they know that I work at and run a college because I was never about school,” Dr. Chege says. “For me, it was just something that I had to go through.” Born in Kenya and raised with a global perspective due to her father’s career as a diplomat, Dr. Chege was no stranger to travel. Her father, an Officer with the Kenyan Airforce and had worked alongside the U.S. Navy in Pensacola and the Air Force in Alabama. Because of this international background, she had options all over the world. When her father was stationed in London, she recalls her parents asking her where she saw herself going to further her education. She found herself drawn to the United States. “I took my SATs. I did pretty well…. [and at] 17 years old, all by myself, I came to the U.S,” she says. ## An Unexpected Path Dr. Chege grew up with the understanding that “C was for College.” After completing her undergraduate degree in communications with a minor in graphic design, she found herself moving to Kansas City. When the job market shifted, she considered returning to Europe to be with her parents, but they pushed her to keep going. It was this parental nudge that led her to Keller Graduate School of Management for an MBA interview. That interview changed everything. During the interview, the recruiters noticed her background in marketing and graphic design and recognized her natural skill for person-to-person connection. They offered her a job as an admissions advisor with a life-changing perk. “They looked at my resume and they said, ‘you know, would you be interested in an admissions advisor [position]? I was like, oh, that’s not my thing… and they said ‘well, just think about it because if you decide you’re going to do this, you can get your master’s for free.’ I was like, wait, what? For free?” Dr. Chege admits she joined the field for “selfish reasons” at first: to get her degree. But as she began helping other students, she realized she had found her calling. She saw that many people did not understand how to navigate the college system and she wanted to be the one to help guide them. “I had this whole impression of well, these are Americans, they know the value of education… in Kenya, people know the value of education but can’t afford it. So, when I was at DeVry, I was like, I’m educating this mom and dad on college. I’m educating this kid. Holy moly, this is a foreign concept, and I think this is my calling.” ![Catherine Chege AZCN Las Vegas](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Catherine-Chege-AZCN-Las-Vegas.webp?w=1024) ## Finding a Home in Las Vegas Dr. Chege’s career eventually took her from the chilly winters of Kansas to the bright blue skies of Southern Nevada. When she was flown out for her interview and tasked with helping open a new campus in Henderson, she knew she wasn’t going back to the Midwest. “They [flew] me from Kansas to Vegas in February. [When I] landed, and I saw blue skies and mountains, and it was warm. I took a cab from the airport…and my cab driver was Ethiopian. I went to the Flamingo Hotel and guess who checks me in? It’s a girl from Kenya. I don’t think I had unpacked by the time I called my boss and said I’m not coming back [to Kansas],” she recalls. ![Las Vegas Nursing Program Group Photo](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Las-Vegas-Nursing-Program-Group-Photo.webp?w=990) In Las Vegas, her career accelerated. She moved through the ranks at DeVry, moved to a Director of Enrollment Services position at another college, and then even landed in a senior management role. However, the heavy travel requirements of a regional role began to clash with the most important job in her life: being a mother. This desire for stability led her to Arizona College in 2017. At the time, the [Las Vegas campus](https://arizonacollege.edu/las-vegas-nursing-school/) was in its infancy, with only 86 students enrolled. Here, she saw an opportunity to not just lead the campus, but to build it. ## The Impact of Nursing What keeps Dr. Chege motivated is seeing the immediate impact a [nursing degree](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/) has on a student’s life. She sees students grow in their roles and even move from low-paying jobs to high-starting salaries. Dr. Chege is also proud of the diversity on her campus, noting that on any given day, you can find “four continents represented” in the hallways. She finds joy in walking the halls and hearing about all the [students’ successes](https://arizonacollege.edu/student-services/) and helping them through their struggles. Now, Dr. Chege is focused on her campus and celebrating the [high NCLEX scores](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/nclex-exam-prep/) the campus has achieved. She views the college like a growing child and is excited to see what the future holds. ![Las Vegas BSN Program Graduation](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Las-Vegas-BSN-Program-Graduation.webp?w=1024) “I’m excited about the possibilities of being part of this organization as it continues to grow,” she says. “Arizona College is really taking good care of me, my family, and my growth as a leader…. I am very fortunate in that sense because I can be part of this process.” **Categories:** Nursing School