Emergency Assistance Helps Nursing Student Stay on Track

Lesley Gonzalez is a scholar at Mission College studying to be a licensed vocational nurse. The two-year LVN program is demanding, but Lesley is smart, dedicated, and driven to build a career that will help others and support herself and her mother.

Lesley and her mom live in a three-bedroom apartment with two other families about a half hour drive from campus. Her mom is the primary breadwinner, but when she had hernia surgery and couldn’t work at her cleaning job, they quickly went from just getting by to being in trouble.

Through Mission College’s Emergency Assistance Program, Lesley was able to stay on track academically while also helping her mom to get healthy and return to work. Lesley picked up boxes of fresh food every Tuesday through the on-campus food distribution program, which is run in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank. Mission College sent weekly Walmart gift cards for household essentials like shampoo and cleaning supplies. Through Mission’s Extended Opportunity and Services Program (EOPS), Lesley accessed book vouchers, gas cards and on-campus dining cards. “The resources Mission College gave us during that period kept us going,” explains Lesley.

Because Lesley and her mom share the apartment’s living room and kitchen, it’s often difficult to find a quiet and functional space to study. As Lesley recalls, “I had to work on our bed until we could afford a desk, but it was still pretty noisy and crowded at times and we didn’t have Wi-Fi.” Lesley spoke with her counselor, who encouraged her to take advantage of Mission College’s free laptop and hotspot loans, quiet indoor and outdoor study spaces that stay open to students until at least 7pm, Wi-Fi and charging stations, and access to free tutoring and academic support.

“Mission has made it feasible for me to stay in school. The nursing program is challenging, but I’m no longer afraid that I won’t be able to achieve my dreams.”

*For privacy reasons, photo included above is not Lesley Gonzalez