Congratulations to Kimberly, a recent graduate of Respiratory Therapy at NWTC! After three years in the program, we’re proud to announce that she graduated debt-free with high honors. Plus, she’s starting her career at St.Vincent’s Hospital! “Going into a health field program is very time consuming,” she warns, but thanks to WIOA, she was able to focus on her studies and race past the finish line.
On top of classes, Kimberly had 12 hours of clinicals at hospitals across Northeastern Wisconsin every week. She decided to quit her part-time job to focus on school, but she still had bills to pay. Kimberly says the support of her parents and WIOA made all the difference.
“My parents were a huge help if I needed extra money once in a while,” she says, adding that WIOA’s budgeting counsel helped her make that money last. She adds that “WIOA also helped pay for books and classes, which allowed me to use the money I did have on rent, gas, and food.”
“She made understanding and going through this program very easy for me,” says Kimberly, referring to her Career Planner, Tracy. Kimberly worked with Tracy to get through college and focus on starting a career afterward. “Her encouragement and support helped keep me going and gave me faith that I could succeed,” she says. Kimberly wants to encourage other students to learn more about WIOA, “College is expensive and having programs out there like this one that help students succeed is a life saver… It is truly such a big support and helps tremendously!”
Kimberly currently works part-time at St. Vincent Hospital. She hopes to earn a full-time position “in the near future and get good critical care experience there over the next few years.”
Great job, Kimberly!