Patience is a virtue Amy Nething has plenty of.

After putting her plans of a college education on hold to raise her younger brother and start a family of her own, Nething is graduating from West Virginia University this weekend with a masters degree in athletic coaching education.

This comes 19 months after the 33-year-old Morgantown woman earned a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree from the University, making her the first person in her family to obtain a college education.

Its just amazing,said Nething, who will participate in the School of Physical Education graduation reception Friday at the Coliseum.Its been hard having kids and going to class, and none of this would have been possible without the support of my family and the many professors who have helped me along the way.

Nethings story begins in Morgantown, where she grew up in a broken home. She began taking care of her then-baby brother, Dustin Laudermilch, when she was 17. She became his permanent guardian three years later when their parents divorced.

Although she wanted to go to college, she knew she would have to put those plans on hold so she could support her brother and herself. Since going to college was out of the question, she decided working for one would be the next best thing.

Nething began working at WVU as a part-time secretary for the swimming coach when she was a senior at Morgantown High School. From 1989-96, she held several jobs at the University: inventory clerk for purchasing and inventory and accounting clerk in payroll and the Division of Animal and Veterinary Sciences.

She married long-time boyfriend Aaron Nething after he graduated from WVU with a bachelors degree in sport management in 1994, and he joined in the responsibility of raising Dustin. Two years later, the couple had a daughter, Kirstin.

In 1996, the family, Dustin included, moved to Shreveport, La., when Nethings husband was stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base. During the four years the family lived in Shreveport, Nething cared for the family and began taking classes at Louisiana Tech in 1999.

Thats where I finally began to start my college education,she said.I always wanted to go to college, but given the circumstances, I wasnt able to do that. So my goal was, before my brother got his degree, I wanted to get mine.

The family returned to Morgantown in 2000 when her husband accepted a job with the high-tech company Azimuth, and Nething began in earnest to finish her bachelors degree. She first considered a degree in social work because she likes to help people, then learned about the RBA program and went in that direction.

At the same time, she was going regularly to a local gym to get in better physical shape. When the gym closed, she started going to WVU s Stansbury Fitness Center.

There she met Nancy Naternicola, the facilitys fitness and wellness director.

She said, �€~Come work with me and take my classes,Nething recounted.She was heaven-sent. I took her fitness classes, and shes been my biggest supporter.

After receiving her RBA in May 2004, Naternicola encouraged Nething to pursue a graduate degree, and she opted for athletic coaching education. She met with Dan Ziatz, coordinator of the program, and he arranged for her to receive a graduate tuition waiver until she could land a graduate assistantship.

That happened in August 2004 when she began as an intern with the WVU strength and conditioning staff of the Mountaineer football team. Her duties included helping the players prepare for training and assisting them with their various workouts in the weight room.

I loved being a part of that,said Nething, who just completed that internship.I loved working with Mike Barwis (head strength coach) and Marcus Kinney (assistant strength coach), and I got to know the players. Theyre just really respectable.

Another internship Nething is finishing up is with WVU s International Center for Performance Excellence, which publishes the work of researchers from all over the world in the areas of sport management, sport and exercise psychology, athletic coaching and physical education.

Nething handles shipping, which involves everything from carrying newly printed books from skids to the centers warehouse in the Coliseum to delivering them by United Parcel Service.

Some days we get 16,000 pounds of books,she said.

With a graduate degree in hand, Nething is pounding the pavement in search of a job in the fitness industry.

When she is not finishing up her degree, working at her internships and looking for a job, Nething tends to her family, including Dustin, now 16 and a guard on the state champion Morgantown High football team.

And what does Dustin think of his sisters accomplishments?

I think its great,he said.Shes had to wait for so long. Shes had to put everything on hold just for me. Im sure that was really tough. Im really proud.

But for Nething, getting a college degree takes a back seat to knowing she had a hand in shaping her brothers life.

My brothers amazing,she said.Hes a good kid. He has a good heart. It makes me feel if I do nothing else in my life, I can say, �€~Hey, I had a big part in that.