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Any visitor to Texas will observe the immense openness and bright optimism. It characterizes not only its landscape, but also the big hearts of its people. Jessica is an example of the tenacity and grit of an Alamo Community College District HPOG graduate.

Fadumo grew up in Somalia with her mother and five siblings during the Somali Civil War. One day in 1991, 8-year old Fadumo and her younger sister set off to find clean water for their family. While walking, they heard gunfire and ran into an abandoned house to escape it. There, Fadumo heard the whistling of an incoming bomb before it hit. Fadumo lost her sister and sustained injuries to her leg that led to its amputation.

In 1996, her family sought refuge from the war and set out for Kenya on foot. That same year, they gained refugee status and immigrated to Seattle. In Seattle, doctors and care teams treated infections related to Fadumo's amputation. She received a prosthetic leg and regained her ability to walk on her own. The medical staff's compassion and support sparked Fadumo's interest in the healthcare field.

At the age of 39, Sam found himself unemployed. After working for a major airline for over a decade, he was laid off. Sam felt helpless and decided to go to the Pima County One Stop for help. Sam started another job with the airline but was soon laid off again.

Sam returned to the One Stop to meet with his case manager. He was frustrated with the lack of opportunity in the airline industry, and decided it was time for a change. Sam mentioned an interest in healthcare to his case manager. She gave him information on Pima Community College's Nursing Assistant (NA) program.

Sam struggled through the NA program. He was managing academic challenges, substance abuse, and crippling financial debt. After completing the NA program, Sam knew he wanted to progress further in the healthcare field and set his sights on the Practical Nurse (PN) program. His One Stop case manager introduced him to Pima Community College's HPOG program, HPOG Health Career Opportunities with Personalized Educational Supports (HOPES) .

A language barrier couldn't stop her desire to pursue a career in healthcare.

When Rosa moved to Nebraska with her husband in 2017, she left a long career in healthcare behind in Puerto Rico. She held a bachelor’s degree in Nursing Sciences, and spent many years working as a registered nurse and nursing instructor.

Even with her experience, Rosa faced barriers to healthcare education and a career in the U.S. She had only studied basic English in Puerto Rico. She knew she would have to overcome this obstacle to continue her career in nursing.

In February 2018, Rosa began studying English at Platte Valley Literacy Association in Columbus, NE. She told her English instructor she still wanted to work in the healthcare field. Her instructor referred her to the Health Education Laddering Program (Project HELP) , her local HPOG program, for support.

Kayla moved to Kilbourne, Louisiana at the age of 17. She came from a family that struggled with addiction, early motherhood, and heartache. She left high school when she was five months pregnant.

Kayla received her GED shortly after the birth of her first child, but was unsure what to do next. During childhood, she struggled with ADHD, bullying and an unstable home life. Kayla's educational experience was negative. Teachers were not supportive and told her she would never amount to anything.

Kayla met her husband in 2007, and they had four more daughters. Together, they found God and raised their five children. Kayla's husband worked long hours to provide for them. They lived paycheck to paycheck, and their daughters often went without. Kayla believed a higher power had big plans for her but wasn't quite sure what they were.

Eventually Kayla heard her calling at church to become a nurse. She worried about the commitment and time away from her children it would take. She deliberated, but knew it was the right choice. She applied to nursing school and was accepted. Now she needed to find a way to pay for school.

Being born without the ability to hear can make someone feel limited in their career.

Angelica found this to be especially true in the field of healthcare. After many years working a retail job, she was ready for a change. Angelica applied to many local healthcare facilities looking for tuition help with certified nurse's aide (CNA) training, but was denied time after time. Angelica mentioned to one of her coworkers that she was looking to get into the healthcare field. That is when she learned about GoodCare , her local HPOG program facilitated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys.

San Jacinto College re-engages and incentivizes students to complete their training.

In August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey devastated much of the Houston area, affecting many students and staff of the San Jacinto Community College District both financially and emotionally. After the storm, the college’s Health Career Pathways Partnership HPOG program struggled to maintain its relationships with students. This took a major toll on the program’s ability to create successful pathways towards employment.

To address these issues, San Jacinto College made efforts to staff up after displaced staff and faculty caused high turnover. The College then set out to implement a student re-engagement strategy to bring participants back into the fold.

Sometimes you find family in unfamiliar places.

Nicole was one of many children in a large poor family in Missouri. Out of eleven grandchildren, she was one of only six that graduated from high school. Nicole dreamt of becoming a nurse, and knew she was ready to change her future.

Her nursing hopes went on hold when her family got a little bigger. At the age of twenty-one Nicole welcomed her first child. Sixteen months later she welcomed twins. Nicole struggled financially, but her children are her source of inspiration and support. She taught them that with every struggle comes a success. As her children grew older, she knew she had to show them. She set her sights on returning to school to become a nurse.

Nicole went to the Linn Creek Job Center looking for help. It was there she met Terry Sullivan, career counselor for the Healthcare Industry Training and Education (HITE) program funded through the Health Profession Opportunity Grant. They started the intake process together and Terry agreed Nicole would be a great fit for HITE.

From surviving to thriving: HPOG opens a new chapter for a single mother.

2017 was a year of transition for Teana. The Portland, Oregon mother suddenly found herself at a crossroads in her marriage, without transportation, and on unemployment. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Healthcare Management but could not find a job. She applied to positions of every caliber but was overqualified for most.

Teana’s priority was her children. While transitioning from stay at home mom to working mother, she applied for unemployment to provide for them. Accepting unemployment came with the condition that she visit WorkSource, a workforce development partner of Worksystems, Inc. During her intake she found out about Health Careers Northwest (HCNW), a local HPOG program bringing free healthcare training to underserved individuals in the Portland area.

At 22 years old, Jane was facing a future common among her peers in tribal communities across the country. She was the mother of two boys, and unable to find a job that paid a living wage. Basic needs like food, rent, and utilities became luxuries.

As the mom of young kids, Jane had no time to search for work, let alone learn a new skill. Jane went for supportive services to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe where someone recommended the Health-Care UTE Project (HCUTE), their local HPOG program. Jane was accepted into the program and started her journey to becoming a certified nursing assistant (CNA). Unfortunately, her journey soon paused. She had trouble finding childcare and reliable transportation, and dropped out.