Shalonda together with her daughter, Catoria, and son, Kirdarion.
Shalonda Garner discovered herself in a state of affairs like many single moms discover themselves: with no job, two younger kids, no little one help, and a choice to make in regards to the future.
“I used to be working a manufacturing facility job in Jonesboro, and I misplaced my job,” Shalonda mentioned. “I assumed, ‘I’m not going to sit down round on my butt and do nothing,’ so I had to determine what I used to be going to do.” Shalonda didn’t need to discover herself in that place once more, so she started profession choices with extra stability.
“I didn’t need to be in a manufacturing facility ceaselessly, so I knew I needed to give myself choices,” she mentioned.
Shalonda’s daughter, Catoria, had additionally been speaking about taking technical courses when she obtained to highschool to earn her licensed nursing assistant license whereas nonetheless in highschool. Shalonda determined that to indicate her daughter it might be executed, it was one thing she may do now. Shalonda enrolled in class and accomplished courses for CNA and phlebotomy at Arkansas State College-Newport.
“I didn’t take the CNA examination as a result of I needed to proceed on to that subsequent stage: I knew I wasn’t going to cease there,” mentioned Shalonda, the one of her siblings to proceed her training after highschool.
Shalonda has been working as a house well being aide. She accomplished the stipulations and was accepted into the licensed sensible nurse program at ASUN on the Marked Tree campus.
Aaliyah Hudson (from left) Shalonda Garner, and Sydney Pollard stand collectively.
“Being a single mother or father and having solely that one revenue was arduous,” Shalonda mentioned. “I’m grateful for these with Arkansas Single Father or mother Scholarship Fund that helped me maintain my head above water. The scholarships helped us make ends meet with payments and groceries and with fuel to get backwards and forwards to high school and work. Having folks such as you on my workforce, I knew I couldn’t let the individuals who supported me down. I saved going as a result of I knew I couldn’t allow them to down as a result of how may I after they invested their money and time in me. I wasn’t going to do this.”
Shalonda’s primary motivation, nevertheless, was her two kids, Catoria, and son, Kirdarion: “I had my children watching me. It was arduous not seeing them a lot generally, however seeing them watch me graduate and them cheering for me whereas additionally figuring out they completed it with you, that does one thing to you.”
Shalonda mentioned when she first began faculty, she frightened about lacking her children’ video games and actions, however she realized alongside the best way learn how to stability faculty, work, and her household — even when that meant taking her books together with her to the ballpark.
Shalonda accomplished the one-year program in 2021 and graduated on Dec. 10 of that 12 months.
“The entire day I used to be pumped! I used to be so proud I had completed yet another factor I had set my eyes on. I used to be overjoyed,” she mentioned. However that pleasure shortly turned as she confronted a twister that broken her house.
Whereas at commencement, work was calling her to come back in, so she needed to shortly drive her children house, change garments and report back to work. Quickly after, storms have been headed towards Northeast Arkansas, so she known as her sister to choose up her kids. When she was lastly capable of return house, she discovered roof injury and different injury together with {the electrical} meter and cable field torn fully from the house. With no water or electrical energy for a number of days, she checked her household right into a lodge.
Shalonda Garner attends commencement.
With assist from the Arkansas Single Father or mother Scholarship Fund’s emergency funds, Shalonda was capable of obtain some assist paying for a few of her lodge invoice, changing the chilly and frozen meals misplaced through the energy outage, and changing her tire that was broken whereas driving by way of particles.
“Since my journey by way of nursing faculty, the ASPSF program has been there each step of the best way,” mentioned Shalonda. “I’m so appreciative of the sponsors who fund this system. With out their assist, a variety of households, single mother and father like myself, would battle and even go with out.”
When requested what she wish to share with others in class or contemplating going to high school, Shalonda mentioned: “It’s not unimaginable. You have got folks outdoors of your loved ones to inspire you, that can assist you. You’re by no means going to be alone.”
In early March, Shalonda took her LPN licensing check and was thrilled to search out out the subsequent day that she had handed in solely 75 questions.
“I used to be the primary one to complete within the room,” she mentioned. “The check ends when you will have answered sufficient questions right or it should finish should you’ve answered too many mistaken. I assumed I used to be going to throw up once I left the room as a result of I didn’t know. I felt like I knew the fabric, there have been a pair I wasn’t certain about, however I felt like I knew it.”
When the outcomes got here the next day, Shalonda mentioned she jumped off the sofa screaming, “I advised [my kids] I handed, and so they have been leaping up and down and so they began calling my sisters and telling them.”
In late April, Shalonda accepted a job provide with NEA Baptist Clinic and can be a part of their employees as a full-time LPN. Her purpose is to in the future return and earn her registered nurse license after working for some time and spending a bit of extra time together with her kids.
