Christian Fox: NCWorks NextGen Youth Success Story
Christian Fox began working with Goodwill’s WIOA NCWorks NextGen youth program in May 2016 when she decided that it was finally time to get serious about her education and earn a GED. She struggled for several years in low paying jobs because she didn’t have a high school diploma and she knew she wouldn’t get where she wanted to go without it. Christian studied hard, attended classes religiously, and took and passed all 4 tests within 6 months, all while working a full time job.
Meanwhile, we began discussing plans for continuing her education and she was instantly drawn to the Nurse Aide course. Christian attended night classes so that she could keep working and pick up a paid workplace experience to gain some exposure to the world of healthcare. Her hard work paid off in the summer of 2017 when she passed the course and earned her CNA license.
Christian was recognized as the 2017 Outstanding NCWorks NextGen Youth Participant for Goodwill’s WIOA program in December 2017 at the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board recognition luncheon. Her story and success stood out to many people in attendance, particularly to an HR Representative from Mission Health. Christian’s story led to a job offer at Mission Health and she will be starting in January 2018. Christian will also be continuing her education by pursuing a Phlebotomy license in spring 2018.
When asked what advice she would give to someone who needed to earn their GED or pursue more education, Christian said that it’s important to remember that your life isn’t over if you don’t do things in the order that society tells you to. If you just take the first step, you’ll find that there are plenty of people willing to help you along the way.