I'm a CC Student who is interested in studying nursing. What should I do?

I'm interested in pursuing a career in nursing and I need all the advice I can get. I'm 22 years old and recently I have lost my father to cancer who passed away on January 1, 2015. I have been the one responsible in my family to care for my father and all the experience I have had while going with him to all his appointments and treatments and the interactions I have had with the nursing staff has made me realized that I want to become a RN also I know its something my dad would be proud of. I've had almost a year to seriously think about it and I am confident that this is the right career for me. I'm a student at Merritt Community College in Oakland California and right now I just want to finish the general requirements to apply for the nursing program there. Now I know there are many ways to become an RN and I have been told its best to become an LVN/LPN first than apply for a program that helps LVN/LPN to become RN. I am also interested in transferring into a CSU to get a BS in nursing but I know that nursing is an impacted major and that the wait list can be pretty long. I can't afford to go private but public is very doable for me. For those of you have any advice and experience with nursing in community colleges I would love to hear them and it would be great if anyone who has study nursing at a CSU. I'm very interested in CSU East Bay, San Francisco, and San Jose because those are colleges that I can commute from home. This is just the beginning for me and I want to do my very best at a great start and hopefully maybe I'll become an Rn in a few more years.
First thing to do is to look on the website of each institution you are considering and get their admissions process and prerequisite course lists down. Evaluate your academic standing. Are you already a 4.0 GPA type student with above average abilities in the sciences? Each school has its own admissions requirements and atmosphere, so you need to get a feel for where you stand. How many of the prerequisite classes have you already taken and what were your grades? What are your science grades? Call the schools and make appointments to meet with a nursing school advisor. Attend required information sessions. Pick your school(s) to finish the prereqs and get started. Do your best to get A's in all of your prereq classes to maximize your chances and work on the other admissions criteria. For example: If possession of a CNA certificate is required, or recommended, then get it. Volunteer or paid health care experience? Get it. Foreign language courses or fluency? Get it. Letters of reference from past instructors? So on, and so on. Check out the info you will find in the forums here and ask specific questions, but go to your school's advisors first. They can give you the latest info as well as specific advice. Good luck.