Antoinette’s Story: Reaching Her Career Goals Through Determination

Antoinette was working as a dietary aide at a St. Paul nursing home when she found out about Hired. At 20 years old, Antoinette dreamed of becoming a Registered Nurse. She believed that by starting as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) she would gain experience in the medical field and reach her goal faster.

In the fall of 2019, Antoinette connected with her employment counselor Asha at Hired, but after difficulties trying to obtain her state ID, she lost hope in furthering her training at the time. But Asha kept checking in on Antoinette, always asking if she needed support. Asha mentioned a new CNA training opportunity for young women through Ramsey County.

Antoinette was redetermined to participate after learning about the program and started her training through a hybrid model of online and hand-on learning in November. She will start applying for CNA positions once her certification is complete.

“I’m grateful Asha didn’t give up on me. She called me every now and then, and she was able to help me take care of my ID and get my social security card. I can tell she really loves what she does and wants to see me be successful.”