Jackeline Medina: Hope for the Future

Jackeline Medina, a SNAP (Food Stamp) participant, had previously been a college student but stopped attending classes for personal reasons. More recently, she had  been laid off from her job and began working as a driver to make extra money. However, Jackeline wanted a job in her desired career path, which was nursing.

Jackeline inquired about SkillUP at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in the spring of 2021. A MCC SkillUP navigator reached out to her to complete the intake process, and Jackeline was enrolled in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program by the beginning of August. Finding a class that was paid for through SkillUP gave her hope that she could eventually return to school for more education in the medical field. On October 7, 2021 Jackeline received a certificate of completion in the CNA program, and started at the Truman Medical Center on October 25, 2021 with a starting pay of $15.50 an hour!

Jackeline hopes to continue on the medical career pathway and attend nursing school and become a registered nurse. She sees becoming a CNA not just as a job, but the beginning of a new career.

This publication/program is supported by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award by ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government.