CSN Grad Profile: Brittany Soul Sharp proves it’s never too late

When Brittany Soul Sharp crosses the stage, it won’t be her first time working toward the moment. But this time, it means something different.

Sharp first set out to earn her degree years ago, starting classes in her 20s while balancing life as a young mother. In 2008, she was pregnant during her first semester. Over time, life shifted. She stepped away, raised her family and kept going in other ways.

Then she came back.

In December 2022, Sharp was preparing to finish what she started, just three classes shy of her degree. But a mix-up derailed her plans, and she found herself dropped from the path she had worked so hard to return to.

It would have been easy to walk away again.

Instead, she leaned in.

“Life happened,” Sharp said. “But I knew I wasn’t done.”

Between 2022 and 2025, she recommitted, pushing through not just logistics, but the quieter challenges that come with returning to school later in life. She talks openly about battling imposter syndrome and questioning whether she belonged.

She didn’t let that voice win.

Along the way, Sharp built something bigger than a degree. A three-time author and award-winning spoken word performer, she has taken stages, including a TEDx performance, using creative expression as a tool for healing and hope. Through her work and her organization, Soul Stone Group LLC, she brings art into spaces that need it most, from community events to leadership development settings.

Her message is simple, but it resonates.

“If we can change our perspective, we can change our lives,” she said.

At CSN, Sharp found more than coursework. She found opportunity, support and a place that stayed consistent, even when her path wasn’t.

“CSN is always there,” she said.

Now in her 40s, Sharp is graduating alongside a new generation, including students her own children’s age. Her daughter recently turned 21. At one point, she was raising two college freshmen and a preschooler at the same time. That perspective shaped everything.

“Degrees confirm who you are and what you’re already doing,” she said.

Next, she plans to continue her education at UNLV, pursuing interdisciplinary studies that blend international business, hospitality and music. It’s a natural extension of the work she’s already doing, creating spaces where creativity and connection meet.

And while the degree matters, Sharp says the growth behind it matters more.

In just a few years, everything changed.

“I’m a totally different person now,” she said.

It wasn’t a straight path, but she came back and finished what she started, on her terms.

To catch up with Brittany or book her for a speaking event, visit: BrittanySoul.com