April K. came to our program in May of 2016 as an Out of School Youth looking for training to help her reach self-sufficient employment. She is a single mother with two young children receiving SNAP and was struggling to make ends meet. We helped her to build her first resume, and had her take the CRC Test soon after enrollment. Shortly thereafter, we placed her into training at Wytheville Community College for the LPN program. Goodwill Industries of the Valleys assisted her financially throughout her training, and this made it possible for April to achieve one of her career goals.

The LPN curriculum is very challenging, but she is a bright young lady and had the grit to persevere through her first year of classes with good grades. During her second year of studies, we focused on her leadership development, and we began working on developing a resume focused on nursing and a cover letter to use upon graduation and while interviewing. Also, we introduced her to different nursing organizations that are available to support the interests and concerns of LPNs. We worked on her interview preparation, and discussed different articles on successful interviewing techniques, typical questions, and how to develop your own questions for the interviewer. Within 3 weeks of her last class day, she had an interview at a practice in Pulaski, and was hired. Two months later, she passed her TEAS test, and received her license as LPN. This is a wonderful story as it is, but it will not end here. April is a lifelong learner, and in addition to working, she is currently also studying in order to bridge her LPN to RN.

April is very thankful for our program. She states that she would not have been able to achieve this goal for herself and family without Goodwill Industries of the Valley’s support and guidance. She continues to be a vocal supporter of our services in the community, and is excellent example of how our company is helping families to have better lives.