Michelle
Michelle was a single mother of 3 when she faced unemployment after being laid off from her position as a grain operator. She came to Vermilion County Works (VCW) with an employment goal already in mind and her education in progress. She was determined to become a Radiologic Technologist and was finishing her prerequisites at Danville Area Community College (DACC) when she was laid off. She had just been accepted into the Radiologic Technology program, but was unsure about how she was going to cover her expenses. Our staff met with Michelle to explain our services, assess her needs, and develop a career plan to ensure that she was on track to meet her employment goal. With available funding at VCW, Michelle was enrolled into our program as a dislocated worker. She received tuition assistance and supportive services for her training which included; book charges, school supplies, transportation assistance, testing and licensing fees, and required items for clinical training.
Michelle began her program courses in June 2021. Her dedication and drive to complete her program was remarkable. Michelle successfully juggled her children’s school schedules, social events, and extracurriculars as well as her own classes, laboratory sessions, and completion of 1500 clinical hours—proving that moms can do anything! Even after an injury put her behind in her clinical hours, she persevered. She worked with her instructors to make up those hours. Nothing was going to deter her from her goal. Then, just before her final semester, she discovered that she and her boyfriend were expecting a child. This happy news served to motivate her even more. She graduated Cum Laude with her Associate’s in Applied Science and earned her ARRT license in June of 2023.
Michelle is now employed with Carle Health as a Radiologic Technologist, but she isn’t letting the fact that she’s met her employment goal stop her from exceeding it. She is currently cross-training in CT, expanding on her skillset and increasing her understanding of her field.