Thanks to the Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) offered through CareerSource Northeast NEFL, Arianna Grondin received scholarship assistance to enter the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) Nursing Program.
Today, she’s a nurse resident at Baptist Hospital in Jacksonville – graduating with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) in December 2021 as the Treasurer of Alpha Delta Nu, the honor society of FSCJ’s ADN program.
She gives CareerSource NEFL a lot of credit for getting her started and helping her along the way.
“Honestly, I don’t know how else I would have been able to do this without CareerSource Northeast Florida,” Grondin said. “It’s the career I’ve always wanted to pursue, but I didn’t know financially how I was going to be able to do it. Trying to juggle the cost of living plus school, even at FSCJ, where it’s not super-expensive, is still difficult.”
Grondin had been working full-time building websites for a branding company, but she was furloughed when several of the company’s contracts were not renewed when the COVID-19 Pandemic struck.
“I’d always had a love for the medical field, so I knew this was the course I wanted to take, but it just took me a long time to get there,” she said. “I also knew there were different scholarships available out there, but I couldn’t apply for them because I was over a certain age, or I didn’t grow up in Florida…there were just a lot of issues that prevented me from applying.”
So, she was excited when she received an email about the ITA Program and that she might qualify. She reached out to CareerSource NEFL Workforce Services Representative George Skinner, the representative at her closest FSCJ campus.
“I had questions, tons of them,” she said. “I told George that it sounds too good to be true, so please don’t get my hopes up. He answered all my questions, so I could ensure that I really did qualify and it was a legitimate way to pursue my dreams.”
Grondin, who had overcome brain surgery in 2019, says she had become fascinated with neurology through that experience.
“I learned quite a bit about the brain during that time,” she said. “I also recently found out there is a specialty for neuro neo-natal that’s offered in different hospitals, which is very specialized care provided for premature babies. That’s where I hope to specialize after I complete my degree.”
She adds that the CareerSource NEFL ITA Program opened a door for her that she wouldn’t have had otherwise.
“For me, knowing that school was taken care of and my part was to be a student and exceed in my studies is the best thing,” she said. “It’s been such a relief to know that my education costs are covered, and it’s a blessing to know that I don’t have to worry about it, and I can just do what I need to do to graduate.”
Grondin is also sharing the opportunities provided through CareerSource NEFL.
“I had a friend who is talking about going into nursing, and I suggested she reach out to CareerSource NEFL and see if the program would work for her,” she said. “I explained that there are resources available through the agency – tons of networking, information, and lots of opportunities to also help you find a job when you’re ready.”
Also, Grondin says there’s much support that CareerSource staff provide along the way. “I have someone checking on me as I move through the program, which is not only there to make sure I’m accountable but also to ask if there are any needs I have to help me complete the program,” she said. “Having someone else to check in and just make sure I’m doing okay is a nice thing. Their support just offers a lot of hope and a helping hand to make it to this next step. I could have done it on my own, but it would have been a lot harder. To someone looking to change their career, especially if they don’t know what they want to do, CareerSource Northeast Florida has a lot of tools available to help you define where your strengths are and what would be a good fit for you, as well directing you to the training you need to get you into that field.”