Meet Michelle, she is a proud mom of 5 children, with the 2 youngest and living at home. Michelle had been a stay-at-home mom for the past few years until she found herself in an unsafe situation and had to remove herself and her two young daughters from the home. Faced with uncertainty, she knew it was time to rebuild their life from the ground up.
Michelle knew that she wanted to be a CNA, a Certified Nurse Assistant, because during this hard time in her life, she realized how important compassion, care, and support truly are. While staying at a domestic violence shelter, she met a CNA who taught her that being CNA is not only about providing medical care, but also about helping people feel safe, valued, and cared for during their most vulnerable moments. Michelle said, “Hearing her story gave me hope, it showed me that I could start over and build something stable for my family too.”
Michelle started to look for CNA classes that would offer her everything she needed - a fresh start, a supportive environment, and a clear path towards independence, that’s when she found Goodwill. She reached out to Goodwill and enrolled. Michelle stated, “It was perfect, my girls school started at 8:00am and CNA classes were from 8:30am – 2:00pm and pick-up was 3:00pm”. And that was how Michelle started to build their new life.
Michelle’s initial goal in Goodwill’s CNA program was to create a stable future for her daughters and herself. She wanted to prove to her daughters that she could rebuild their life through hard work and education. During the 6-week program, Michelle’s goals grew, she wanted to be someone that her classmates could look up to, and to gain the skills and confidence to care for others with compassion and professionalism. Michelle excelled and became the class valedictorian!
“Becoming valedictorian feels like reaching every one of those goals and more.” Michelle stated.
When asked what it means to become a CNA to you and your family, she responded, “It means everything to me and my family. It represents a new beginning and security, independence, and hope after such a difficult time in our lives.” Michelle also mentioned that it would give her daughters a chance to see their mom standing strong and proud. After graduation, Michelle’s goal is to begin working as a CNA and gain more hands-on experience and continue growing in the healthcare field. She plans to continue her education and work towards becoming an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) or RN (Register Nurse). Her ultimate goal is to build a stable, meaningful career where she can support her family and give back to others who are going through tough times, just like people that helped her.
After Michelle’s 6-week program with Goodwill, she reflects on who helped her get where she is today, she mentions 3 groups of people: first, her daughters, they were her cheerleaders the whole time. They motivated her every single day to keep going, even when things felt impossible. Second, the staff at the domestic violence shelter whom supported and encouraged her to pursue Goodwill’s CNA program. Lastly, Cassie, her CNA instructor at Goodwill: Cassie went above and beyond to make sure everyone in class succeeded. Michelle said, “She was patient, encouraging, and always reminded us that we were capable – even on the tough days. She treated us like future professionals, not just students, and made sure we were confident both in our skills and in ourselves.”
We asked Michelle if she would share her experience with others and she responded,
“I plan to tell people about how Goodwill’s CNA program gave me the skills, confidence, and support I needed to rebuild my life for my daughters and myself. I hope my story will encourage others, especially those who feel stuck or afraid, to take that first step towards creating a better future for themselves.”