Laci celebrates with her daughter on “Pinning Day.”
Career Specialist Nikki Lanham reports on her customer. “Laci came to Man-Tra-Con for assistance in July of 2022. She had been laid-off from her job at the Hyatt Reservation Center in Marion, Illinois, since 2020. Laci wanted to return to school to become a nurse. She was seeking training assistance to enroll in the Associate Degree in Nursing program at John A. Logan College,” Nikki says.
“Through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding and Man-Tra-Con services for dislocated workers, Laci was determined eligible to receive career coaching and financial assistance for occupational skills training. Man-Tra-Con also helped pay for her transportation costs, books, exam fees, and childcare,” Nikki adds.
“Laci graduated from John A. Logan College in May of 2024, with a grade point average of 3.76. In August, she began working for Southern Illinois Healthcare in Carbondale as a full-time nurse in the “mother/baby” unit earning $30.25 per hour,” Nikki says.
“Laci has always been pleasant and cheerful — even in the face of adversity. With the challenges of being a mother of a 3-year-old daughter, Laci still made it through nursing school. She is a very caring person and her goal all along was to become a nurse working with mothers and babies. She set a goal, put her mind into it, and that is what she is doing now in her career,” Nikki adds.
Laci was thankful to receive training assistance from Man-Tra-Con, and has plans to continue with her education.
“I really know I would not have made it without Man-Tra-Con. It allowed me to pay for my expenses and not have to turn to loans as an option. Now, I will be starting my BSN in the fall,” Laci says.