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During an appointment at the Women, Infants, & Children office, Iris came across a flyer for San Jacinto College’s Health Career Pathways Partnership (HCPP) and saw an opportunity to become a registered nurse. HCPP offered free healthcare tuition and support services to help her succeed in a new career.

Amy is no stranger to struggle. Over the past thirty years she fought a long, painful battle with alcoholism and dependency. She struggled with homelessness, battled cancer, and at her lowest point, was incarcerated for four years. Her life lacked stability, purpose and direction. Having lost everything at the age of 50, she needed to confront the harmful patterns in her life. “I had to break down every inch of my soul to find the strength to dig into the very roots of my self-destruction,” she recalls. She knew the road to recovery and self-realization would not be an easy one, but she was determined and excited to begin the journey.

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Veasia could no longer afford to live in her neighborhood due to gentrification. She was serving in the US Army as a diesel mechanic and had just gone through a divorce. She moved to Albany, NY to serve as a caregiver for her sick grandmother. Shortly after the move, Veasia was scheduled to deploy to Iraq when she found out she was pregnant with triplets Veasia did not know how she would be able to raise three children without the help of her now ex-husband.

As a single mother of two, Shawna relocated her family from Michigan to Washington state in 2017. With help from nearby relatives, Shawna moved in with her aunt in search of a fresh start in a new city.

Shawna visited the Renton Community Service Office to begin the process of transferring her Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from out of state. During the meeting with her TANF case manager, Shawna expressed her interest in dentistry and completing her high school degree. Shawna’s case manager knew the Health Workforce for the Future (HWF) program run by the Workforce Development Council of Seattle - King County would be a perfect fit for her. HWF supports progress toward economic self-sufficiency for low-income residents of the Seattle-King County area by offering tuition for healthcare training and support services.

A member of the Spirit Lake tribe, Margo spent much of her early life on the reservation working odd jobs to provide for herself and her family. During this time, she worked in customer service, early childhood education, and administration. She was content in these jobs but always wanted to return to school and earn a degree in a field that appealed to her.

Grand Island, NE

Project HELP

Showing up to the wrong place at the right time turns into a new opportunity.

Sandra smiles in her scrubs

When Sandra lost her job, she was shocked, worried, and scared. But thanks to Project HELP she found hope and a new sense of purpose. Sandra worked at the ShopKo in O’Neil, NE for over five years. She started as seasonal help and eventually worked her way up to Floor Supervisor. Unfortunately, the store closed, laying off nearly 20 people. In a small town like O’Neil, that meant a lot of people out of work and competing for what few jobs were available.

Naomi found herself pregnant during her senior year of high school. Despite her pregnancy, she graduated at the top of her class, with a 3.7 GPA. Naomi started researching her options and went to an information session for certified nursing assistant (CNA) training at Louisiana Delta Community College. She knew she would need financial assistance, and at the session learned of the Northeast Louisiana Professional Healthcare Opportunities— Careers and Support Project (PHOCAS) program . Naomi applied and was selected for PHOCAS. She started CNA training at Louisiana Delta Community College in May 2016. "PHOCAS helped with everything; tuition, books, and even a gas card for me to travel back and forth. It was amazing and relieved so much stress."

A first-generation college graduate, Mavis accomplished career and academic goals despite overwhelming challenges. Mavis obtained her Associate Degree of Nursing and secured employment at Memorial Hermann as an emergency room nurse through participating in the Health Professional Opportunity Grant (HPOG) program at Volunteers of America Texas (VOATX) .

Chaz and Stephanie are the definition of a power couple. Motivated to provide for their growing family, they took a chance towards a new career by applying for the HEART Project , Turtle Mountain Community College’s (TMCC) Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) program. With the HEART Project’s assistance, they both obtained certification as Phlebotomy Technicians and associate degrees in Medical Laboratory Science.

Rapid City, SD

HPOG helped Salome find successful career despite her major health challenges

Salome grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southwest South Dakota. For many years she took care of her parents, both of whom were on dialysis. She helped administer their medication and made sure they were comfortable and well-looked after. Later in life, Salome herself required dialysis over a period of ten years. While receiving treatment, Salome watched the nurses at work. She admired the confident, respectful, and compassionate way they interacted with patients under their care. This experience stuck with her and influenced her decision to enter the healthcare field.

In 2015, Salome began her education journey by enrolling in the GED program at the Career Learning Center in Rapid City, SD. At times, she was discouraged, unsure if she had what it took to become successful. An instructor noticed her frustrations and introduced her to the Prosperity Initiative. It is a program that strives to move families and individuals, like Salome, in Rapid City from poverty to prosperity. Salome expressed her goal to make something more of herself as well as her desire to enter the healthcare field. They referred her to the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board’s HPOG program, Pathways to Healthcare Professions (PHP) . Soon after Salome’s acceptance into PHP, she started a Certified Nursing Assistant program.

Completing her education proved difficult. Salome had to balance 40 hours of school with dialysis treatments three times a week. Salome was determined to complete her training though and worked out an alternative schedule that allowed her to fulfill her academic requirements. The instructor let her leave early on the days she had dialysis, and worked with her after class on alternate days so she would not fall behind. PHP staff also helped her get to her classes and treatments.

In class, Salome was shy but engaged with the material. She demonstrated an excellent knowledge and understanding of patient care. Her instructors noted her kindness and dedication to caring for others. During clinical rotations, she went the extra mile for patients under her care, such as answering call lights when she was not required to. Salome completed her CNA training in April 2019 and received her GED soon after.

In January 2020, Salome began a Licensed Practical Nurse program at Western Dakota Tech and is on track to become a nurse. Under normal circumstances, Salome’s health and financial challenges might have prevented her from achieving her goals, but her determination, integrity and perseverance kept her focused. The support she received from the PHP HPOG staff further allowed her to excel and helped make her dream a reality.

This success story was self-identified by the grantee and information contained in this document was provided by the grantee.

HPOG Success Story: Salome at Great Plains Tribal Charimen's Health Board (PDF) (PDF)