Nursing Degree Possible with Multiple Funding Sources
Port Huron Career Center
Submitted by Merissa Pacholek
Ashley enrolled in the associate degree nursing (ADN) program at St. Clair County Community College in 2021. Eligible for a Futures for Frontliners scholarship and a federal PELL grant, Ashley was still short on funding to cover tuition and related training costs. Michigan Works! was able to relieve some of the financial stress and keep Ashley from having to increase her work hours. Tuition assistance and support for books and required supplies and licensing fees was provided with the Workforce In-novation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding and a grant from the Michigan Learning and Advancement Program.
Ashley experienced some major life stressors during training that included becoming a single parent, relocating, two deaths in her family, an injury and surgery. But Ashley pushed on and stated, “Life happens but I never let it stop me.” Ashley graduated in May of this year and is now employed full-time as a registered nurse with the Henry Ford Health System.