Tawanna knew her next career move involved becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). This type of position cares for people who are ill or recovering from surgery or a disease and for Tawanna this was the perfect job. Not everyone is cut out for this type of responsibility, but because she loves working with people and takes the golden rule to heart- always treat others the way you wish to be treated- she knew she would excel.
Even before Tawanna knew about Central Scholarship, she called every Maryland CNA certification program and found out how much each program cost, when classes would be held, and how long it would take to complete. There was just one problem. As a single mother, Tawanna couldn’t afford these programs, but she was determined to find a way.
One day, Tawanna stumbled across Central Scholarship’s career training scholarships. Her first thought was, “This is too good to be true!” Even so, she knew this was her opportunity. She carefully reviewed the application and over the course of 3 days she crafted thoughtful responses and even went back several times to review exactly what she wrote. She wanted it to be perfect and when she felt she had done her best, she pressed the submit button. Now, all she could do was wait.
Tawanna did not get to this point without her share of challenges and she has kept moving forward because of her tenacious and resilient spirit, qualities we should all aspire to. As she waited to hear if she was selected for an interview she thought to herself even if she wasn’t chosen it was wonderful this program would help others achieve their dreams.
It wasn’t too long before Tawanna received a phone call asking her to come in for an interview. She was very excited, but was nervous because she wasn’t sure what to expect. When the day of the interview came and she walked through the door, her nerves began to go away. After all, she had been committed to furthering her career all while juggling the responsibilities of a single mom and she knew how hard she worked for this opportunity. In her interview, she spoke about her career goals and the dreams she hoped to achieve. She left feeling it went well, but was still nervous about the outcome.
As she once again waited for a phone call from Central Scholarship, Tawanna decided that no matter what happened she was determined to complete a CNA program and would find a way. Fortunately, that was not a bridge she had to cross. She was soon notified she had received a career training scholarship and the entire cost of her program would be covered! Tawanna had done so much research on CNA programs prior to receiving the scholarship that she started her program four days after she was notified.
As soon as Tawanna had completed her CNA program she had multiple job opportunities lined up. She is currently working with two different companies and is already thinking about the next steps to achieve her big goal, becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN).
We owe so much gratitude to Tawanna and students just like her who have chosen to pursue career training. Graduates of CNA programs are the ones who provide in-person care to our loved ones when they need help with basic daily activities. We are fortunate to have Tawanna in this profession because of deep appreciation for this responsibility.
Tawanna’s biggest cheerleader is her eight year old son who always makes sure she completes her homework. He is her inspiration to keep growing in her career so she can provide him a great life and we are honored that we have been able to play a role in that journey.