My First Place™ participant and mother, Kaelyn, is working diligently to create a better life for her daughter. Because of her difficult experience in the foster care system, Kaelyn, age 20, is motivated to provide her daughter with everything she needs to have a bright future. 

“I want to push to make everything easier for her in life. Growing up for me was hard in the foster care system and I just want her to know she will never have to face anything like that in life. She inspires me to keep pushing myself and to be a better person,” Kaelyn said.  

Kaelyn recently finished an eight-week Certified Nursing Assistant course and is now apprenticing at a skilled nursing facility through our Los Angeles Workforce Development partner, Jewish Vocational Services. There, Kaelyn practices basic patient care skills including: checking blood pressure, changing diapers, picking people up safely, performing bed baths, taking them into the restroom, and more. She says the apprenticeship will help her become a licensed vocational nurse as she completes AA coursework for a nursing degree at East Los Angeles City College. 

“It was an eye opener for me when I went into this program– I realized this is the field I want to get into,” said Kaelyn of her plan to become a licensed vocational nurse. 

After finishing the My First Place program, Kaelyn plans to use her savings to get her own apartment and continue her education and earn a BA degree. Kaelyn’s career goal is to work at a county hospital like the University of Southern California. 

“Whatever it is that I have to go through to keep moving up in life, I want to keep learning and experiencing,” Kaelyn said. 

We are so impressed by Kaelyn’s determination to earn her nursing degree and support her daughter with her future career. Kaelyn’s team and the rest of us at First Place wish Kaelyn the best of luck on her journey to become a licensed vocational nurse! 

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