D. Barbara McWhite grew up in York County, S.C., and lives in Orange Park, Fla., with her husband and cat. Her column is published here each Tuesday. Opinions expressed are solely her own.

The New Year has come. Advertisements are rife with various ways for us to lose weight, better manage our money — and even ways to use our horoscopes to predict our futures. 

My advice for this year is simple: Seek to find your own solutions on 2012.

Several years ago, my daughter Daisy was a student at the University of South Florida's School of Nursing. Having successfully completed her first two years, she applied to the school’s nursing program with a solid "B" average. She was turned down.

After a family huddle, it was decided that she would stay at USF, taking courses in which she could easily excel, thus "padding" her "B" average to an "A." Then surely she would be admitted.

A year went by in which Daisy achieved an "A" in all of her classes. Her GPA was considerably higher when she applied the second time … but she was again denied entrance.

We were despondent. Daisy, from junior high school, spoke only of becoming a nurse. She worked hard in high school and was accepted into the best nursing program in Florida. Now it seemed that the door was closed for her to continue into the school’s nursing program and she would have to look elsewhere to complete her degree.

One night as I lay awake, full of sadness that my child — who had worked so hard — would have to now leave her school of choice to complete her degree, I became angry. Questions began to form in my mind.

What are the GPAs of the students being accepted into the school’s program? How close is she to the accepted range? Is it fair that the school would take our money and our daughter’s hard work then deny her access while admitting students from other schools with less-rigorous academic requirements?

In short, I was hot! I would DO SOMETHING, I decided … I just wasn't sure what.

After a restless and prayerful night, the next morning I went to my computer and began to write letters. I wrote to Oprah Winfrey. I wrote to then-first lady Laura Bush. Finally, I wrote to Florida's then governor, Jeb Bush.

In my letter, I explained my daughter’s predicament. I appealed to them to intervene on her behalf based on her determination and her grades and because of the nursing schools admittance polices that I believed were unfair.

I never heard from Oprah. I received a letter from Mrs. Bush saying she would have her staff look into the matter — and I did receive a phone call from her staff person later on.

But before I knew it, Gov. Bush had contacted the school and arranged for us to meet with the dean of the College of Nursing to present our case.

We received the call from the dean’s office on a Sunday. The next week, we met with the school, made our appeal, presented our case — and by noon the next day, our daughter was in!

Daisy completed the program on time and passed her nursing exam the first try. She is now halfway through graduate school to become a nurse practitioner.

I treasure the lessons I learned from that experience. I am thankful that my family was able to witness with me the power of prayer and perseverance.

So in 2012, I challenge you to think outside the box. Find a way to make it happen. Unless God has told you to stop, don't give up.

When you encounter the word  "no," invert the letters and it becomes "on".

Press ON. Seek answers. Find solutions. Try a different route.

Make it happen in 2012.

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year.

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