Tiffany Smith, Centralina Workforce Development Board (WDB) – WIOA funded participant and single mother of two worked as a pharmacy technician, but she aspired more for herself and dreamed of a career as registered nurse. She began her pursuit of that dream in August 2017 when she was accepted into the associate degree in nursing program at Davidson County Community College.

Throughout the duration of her schooling, Tiffany encountered personal obstacles with work, finances, and the demands of her coursework. But Tiffany didn’t give up, she met monthly with Charleena Zepeda, Talent Development Consultant at the NCWorks Career Center-Rowan in Salisbury, who reviewed her progress and reminded her to, “keep her eye on the prize.”

Though Tiffany experienced highs and lows, her grades were never affected. She was determined. “Tiffany was getting closer and closer to the prize, and that is when I saw that Tiffany was stronger than she knew. I knew that Tiffany was going to accomplish all of her goals without allowing any obstacles to hinder her success,” said Zepeda.

On May 9, 2019, Tiffany attended her pinning ceremony at Davidson County Community College, then on June 1, 2019, Tiffany passed her NCLEX exam. Less than two weeks later, Tiffany was offered and accepted a full-time position at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center as a grad staff nurse with a base salary of over $25 per hour.

Tiffany was ecstatic to see all her hard work and determination finally pay off.

“I am so proud to see Tiffany succeed! I know that there are no limits to her success and look forward to hearing about her future endeavors,” added Zepeda.