Holly Kotkiewicz came to the Southwestern Illinois WorkNet Center last summer after being laid-off from Washington University, where she had worked as a DNA Sequence Assembler for the last seventeen years. She had been trained on the job for this position, and she held a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. But, unfortunately, the job marker did not offer much encouragement for her specific set of skills and expertise, so she began looking for other ways to utilize her background, which led her to look into becoming a Registered Nurse.
It was easy to see how determined Holly was to get back on her feet again from her very first appointment with her Career Specialist. She was thorough in her application, and had already begun taking classes on her own to set herself up for success. The only problem was her family’s income, which was greatly diminished by the loss of her job, and she was no longer eligible for any tuition assistance except for student loans. Luckily, her husband did work and though she admitted early on that her family’s budget would be tight while she went to school, the family had a plan, and she was able to see that the struggle would be temporary and well worth it once she was finished with her degree.
She is now about to complete her very last semester of the Accelerated Nursing Bachelor’s degree program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Despite this program being one of the toughest to complete, Holly has held a perfect GPA for the entirety of her coursework, acing exams many students have to take and retake before they pass or are allowed to sit for their board certification. She will graduate this month with high honors, and there is no doubt that with her new skills and dedication, she will be employed in the very near future, making a difference in the lives of others.