Nikki Howard could see the kind of work she wanted long before she had the certification to do it. At Vermont Orthopedic Clinic, she was working as a licensed nursing assistant, close to patients every day, and watching the medical assistants do tasks she hoped to learn herself someday. She liked the job she had, but she also knew she wanted more.
That next step meant going back to school for a medical assistant certification, and that is where things got hard. Nikki was working full-time and balancing a lot at home while trying to figure out how to pay for training she knew would help her move forward. The cost was enough to make the whole thing feel out of reach.
The Curtis Fund’s Credentials of Value Scholarship, which provides funding for Vermont students enrolled in short-term, career-focused certificate and training programs in fields that don’t require a college degree, helped change that.
Nikki said learning she had been selected took a weight off her shoulders. It gave her the chance to go through with the schooling she needed instead of staying stuck, wondering how she would make it happen on her own.
Once she finished the program, her role at the clinic expanded right away. Now she works with providers every day and does more hands-on clinical work. She helps take out stitches and staples, does casting, gives injections, and assists with ultrasound work. It is the kind of work she had wanted for a long time, and she is glad to be doing it.
Nikki says she was drawn to the medical field because there is always more to learn. She likes that the work keeps changing and that there are still new paths ahead of her. Right now, she is thinking about what comes next, maybe radiology or EMT training.
Support like this matters because it keeps people from getting stuck. It helps a working parent stay in motion. It helps someone with real ambition turn that into a career. It helps a clinic keep a worker who is already invested and ready to grow.
In healthcare, the cost of training reaches beyond one person. When workers are priced out of the next step, everyone feels the strain. And when a clinic cannot support its people, patients are the ones who lose out.
For Nikki, the scholarship meant she could keep going. It helped her build something steadier for herself and her family, while staying in the work she loves. The Curtis Fund gives people room to move when the next step starts to feel out of reach.
To read more stories about Curtis Fund scholars, visit: https://www.thecurtisfund.org/meet-the-scholars
Learn more about how to support Vermont students like Nikki: https://www.thecurtisfund.org/donate#give-now
