Medical assistant student Va Leenia West has experienced her fair share of obstacles.
She has been homeless off and on for a while鈥攍iving in a women鈥檚 shelter and a tent all while going to school, working and raising her young son along with her husband.
Recently the Colorado Springs family was about to move into an apartment when the person they鈥檇 been working with disappeared with their deposit, leaving them broke and feeling hopeless.
But then something good happened. The faculty and staff at 最新糖心Vlog nominated her for a $5,000 scholarship. They saw what she went through each day and despite her challenges, she didn鈥檛 miss class, kept good grades and maintained a bright, positive attitude.
鈥淪he鈥檚 had an uphill climb,鈥� said 最新糖心Vlog聽Colorado Springs Campus聽Director, Tara Dailey. 鈥淪he needs a chance in life. We wanted to be able to help her get that.鈥�
So Dailey, along with other Pima Medical staff, drafted a scholarship nomination letter and sent it to the聽聽(ABHES). They wrote about how dedicated West is鈥攁bout how no matter what life
throws at her, she gets back up and tries even harder.
The letter inspired those at ABHES and they decided to award West as this year鈥檚聽听飞颈苍苍别谤.
鈥淔or me, I think we look for a candidate who reminds us of Chris and his attributes,鈥� said Mary Coughlin, ABHES Manager of Programs. 鈥淐hris always brought happiness to the people he worked with and always had a smile on his face, even during difficult times. It appears that Va Leenia approaches her life similarly and although she may be struggling, she has a positive attitude.鈥�
The scholarship was first awarded in 2014 in honor of Eaton, an 18-year ABHES staff member who passed away in 2013. He was the organization鈥檚 associate executive director.
鈥淐hris would bend over backwards to help schools succeed,鈥� Coughlin said. 鈥淗e believed in education and saw the positive effects it had on our member institutions and its students. I believe students like Va Leenia are why Chris believed so strongly in the ABHES mission and the importance of education.鈥�
West and her husband have big dreams, and their educations are getting them closer each day to fulfilling them. While she completes her medical assistant certificate program, her husband is working toward becoming a physician鈥檚 assistant. They hope to work together in orthopedics once he graduates.
West will receive the scholarship during ABHES鈥� annual conference on Feb. 24 in Palm Springs, Calif. She admits, she鈥檚 pretty nervous.
鈥淚鈥檓 a shy person鈥攁 little embarrassed. It鈥檚 all new to me. I hope I don鈥檛 pass out,鈥� she said, laughing. 鈥淭he scholarship will really help us,鈥� she added. 鈥淢y son, Elijah鈥攈e鈥檚 my whole world. He鈥檚 the reason I got into the medical field.鈥�
She scouted out the schools in the area and ended up choosing Pima Medical because it felt right.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 sure what I wanted to do. I spoke with different people at Pima Medical and I really liked it. The programs are faster and provide smaller class sizes. I went in to check it out, and when I left, I was registered for classes.鈥�
罢丑别听Medical Assistant聽program takes approximately nine months to complete. It trains students in various healthcare skills, such as taking vitals, advising patients on medications and treatment plans, preparing them for exams, and other important medical skills. Medical assistant graduates go on to work in doctors鈥� offices, hospitals and clinics.
鈥淪o far the program鈥檚 been good,鈥� West said. 鈥淭here have been a few things I鈥檝e struggled with, but the instructors have been really helpful. When you need something you can just go talk to them. I really love the teachers here.鈥�
West will graduate in April.
For more information about the Medical Assistant program,聽lick here
