Cheyanne, Institute on Aging

At 18, Cheyanne was pregnant and working at a grocery store. Her family was leaving the Bay Area, leaving Cheyanne struggling to get into school and find a place to live. The odds were heavily stacked against her, and she knew something had to change. She liked the idea of having a career but didn’t know where to start. Though she doubted her ability in math, Cheyanne applied for a JVS program that would help her build a pathway into the healthcare field. Her JVS counselor worked with her intensively – tutoring her in math and study skills, helping her explore healthcare careers and getting her prepared for the paid internships she needed to start building a better life for her and her baby. Though she nearly gave up several times, she persevered each day – studying, caring for her child and holding sight of her goals: self-sufficiency and a certified nursing assistant degree. Her hard work started to pay off. One year later, she landed her first full-time job as a home healthcare provider. Today, Cheyanne continues to work hard at her full-time job with Institute on Aging, and has accomplished the two goals she set for herself three years ago. She is proud to pay for her own apartment, take care of her daughter and is excited to go back to school to climb the healthcare ladder.

“I can dream a little bigger now. Working and raising my daughter isn’t easy, but JVS helped me clear a path that I was starting to think didn’t exist. It does exist, and now that I’m on it, there’s no way I’m not going to be successful.” – Cheyanne