Angela came to the Southland Health Care Forum (SHCF), a Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program funded by the Office of Family Assistance in January 2012, after experiencing a number of setbacks in her life. Angela, a hard-working and devoted mother, worked for over 19 years in the cosmetology industry, most recently as an instructor. But in 2011, she lost her full time job and for almost two years tried to find another one with a livable wage that would support her family. Angela and her family went from living comfortably to facing the possibility of being homeless.
Unable to find work in the cosmetology field, Angela agonized over what her next step would be. When she thought about going back to school, she wasn’t afraid of being in the classroom again, but was fearful that, as she had seen with many people she knew, she’d have to take out student loans and still would land a low paying job. Seeing the struggles of others who had taken this path scared her and Angela found herself falling into a state of depression.
The need to support her family, however, pushed Angela into action and she began to research medical training opportunities in her community. She contacted nearby Prairie State College, which referred her to SHCF in Chicago Heights, Illinois.
Angela immediately called SHCF to learn about the accelerated nursing program. Worried about tuition costs, she first asked how much the program cost and learned that it was free because of HPOG funding. This helped alleviate some of Angela’s greatest fears about student loan debt and paved the way for her re-entry into the workforce. It also made Angela feel like SHCF cared about her success and that she wasn’t just a number.
During pre-qualification testing, Angela did poorly on the pre-requisite math test, so SHCF provided tutoring. After she successfully passed all pre-qualification tests and submitted the required documentation, Angela started training to be a Certified Medical Assistant in February 2013.