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 Yuridia De Jesus (left) is one of 20 participants who have successfully completed TCH's "Project Nightingale" program, and then transitioned to Bates Technical College to pursue Nursing Assistant Certification (NAC). Project Nightingale is a NAC program developed through a partnership with Bates Technical College. The goal is to build a bridge for participants—a vast majority who are first generation college students—to navigate registration, paying for tuition, and other college systems that they might not be familiar with.
TCH facilitates a 20-hour career and college readiness week that prepares participants for the rigors of college prior to entering the nursing program at Bates. Since its inception in 2014, Nightingale has helped students afford all the necessary class supplies (scrubs, gait belts, immunizations fees, etc.) and provided supportive case management for the duration of their studies and proceeding job search.
Yuridia’s story started in Bronx, NY. As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Yuridia came to the West Coast without a job or high school diploma. Determined to provide for her young daughter, the 26-year-old attended TCH's GED prep classes and NAC program at the same time. In 2016, Yuridia received her GED, Nursing Assistant Certification and got a job with a Tacoma nursing home. Today, she continues her education at Clover Park Technical College, and has tentative plans to pursue surgical training.
TCH developed Project Nightingale due to our community’s need for care workers and our clients’ need for jobs. Boeing graciously provided the start-up funds to start the pilot program. We look forward to continuing such partnerships for future efforts to improve lives through our four core programs of Education, Employment, Immigration and Advocacy!
Read Yuridia's full story...
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