Nianta
From the priority area Training & Education for Jobs

Just six months ago, Nianta was essentially homeless. She lived with a friend and began looking into shelters. She had no income. She tried to get work through temporary agencies, but without certain skills, she never received a call to work. Without a car or even a driver’s license, her choice of jobs located near a bus line was limited.

Fortunately a friend suggested that Nianta contact the Employment Readiness program at LEARN. Cindy Hersom, a Coordinator at LEARN, helped link Nianta with resources to fill her needs. Together, they worked on a list of steps to take to help Nianta get her life turned around.

“I had no sense of direction,” Nianta says. “I was so used to cutting corners. Now I understand that even though it gets frustrating, there are rules you need to follow to make things happen.”

Cindy helped Nianta to update her resume, find a temporary position to provide immediate income and secure an apartment of her own. The next goal on her list was to take a refresher course to regain her CNA license. Once accomplished, Nianta began sending her resume to nursing homes and other facilities in the area. She was hired at the Beechwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Home in January.

Throughout the program, the lines of communication between client and Coordinator are wide open. “She always let me know what was going on and I’d try to do the same with her,” Nianta says of Cindy. “She made me feel better about how things were going, helped me stay focused and positive.”

“We focus on a few things at a time,” Cindy explains. “There’s a lot of pushing and pulling and intense counseling involved. But we’ve climbed a lot of hurdles and Nianta’s doing really well.”

The focus for Nianta now is to build her resume and her bank account. She hopes to get her driver’s license and is saving for furniture for her new apartment, maybe even a car. Eventually, she plans to attend nursing school. Through it all she plans to take it one step at a time.