Another Immigrant Success Story!
Rohullah trained as a nurse in Afghanistan before resettling to Colorado in 2015. Shortly after arriving, Spring Institute’s Colorado Welcome Back program helped him secure a Certified Nursing Assistant position at a local healthcare facility. However, utilizing his nursing degree seemed impossible as he was in limbo for several years hoping that the Ministry of Health would release his transcripts. These delays put Rohullah in a bind where he was forced to put his career on hold and start from the beginning.
While the cost and energy to go back to school were major deterrents, Rohullah could not wait any longer so he enrolled in a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program in Colorado. With the support of the Refugee Career Pathways program funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Spring Institute provided extensive career guidance and financial support to Rohullah including a $2,500 scholarship for his LPN tuition and over $800 for board exam prep courses. While these scholarships alleviated some financial burdens, costs continued to add up so we employed a collaborative approach with partner organizations to ensure Rohullah had the support needed to succeed.
Immigrant Pathways Colorado awarded Rohullah with a $1,000 grant to cover tuition costs for his LPN program. Emily Griffith Technical College gave him a $825 scholarship to cover remaining tuition expenses in addition to paying for his books and supplies.
In May of 2020, Rohullah graduated from his LPN program and obtained his LPN license a few months later. In February of 2021, Rohullah started a full-time LPN position with a $56,160 yearly salary, but Rohullah’s journey does not end there.
After years of waiting and favorable changes within Colorado’s Board of Nursing, Rohullah eventually received his transcripts and US-equivalency for his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree. In the coming weeks, Spring Institute will help Rohullah enroll in and pay for his last nursing course (advanced medical-surgical concepts) before he is authorized to sit for his NCLEX-RN exam. By early 2022, Rohullah will be eligible for licensure and can find a Registered Nursing position shortly thereafter.
The support of Immigrant Pathways Colorado and many other partnering organizations have played a major role in Rohullah’s life. Thank you for investing in amazing immigrants like Rohullah!
However, utilizing his nursing degree seemed impossible as he was in limbo for several years hoping that the Ministry of Health in Afghanistan would release his transcripts. These delays put Rohullah in a bind where he was forced to put his career on hold and start from the beginning.
While the cost and energy to go back to school were major deterrents, Rohullah could not wait any longer, so he enrolled in a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program in Colorado. With the support of the Refugee Career Pathways program funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Spring Institute provided extensive career guidance and financial support to Rohullah including a $2,500 scholarship for his LPN tuition and over $800 for board exam prep courses. While these
scholarships alleviated some financial burdens, costs continued to add up so we employed a collaborative approach with partner organizations to ensure Rohullah had the support needed to succeed. Immigrant Pathways Colorado graciously awarded Rohullah with a $1,000 grant to cover tuition costs for his LPN program. You can hear directly from him in a video he recorded last year. Emily Griffith Technical College gave him a $825 scholarship to cover remaining tuition expenses in addition to paying for his books and supplies.
In May of 2020, Rohullah graduated from his LPN program and obtained his LPN license a few months later. In February of 2021, Rohullah started a full-time LPN position with a $56,160 yearly salary, but Rohullah’s journey does not end there.
After years of waiting and favorable changes within Colorado’s Board of Nursing, Rohullah eventually received his transcripts and US-equivalency for his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree. In the coming weeks, Spring Institute will help Rohullah enroll in and pay for his last nursing course (advanced medical-surgical concepts) before he is authorized to sit for his NCLEX-RN exam. By early 2022, Rohullah will be eligible for licensure and can find a Registered Nursing position shortly thereafter. The support of Immigrant Pathways Colorado and many other partnering organizations have played a major role in Rohullah’s life. Thank you for investing in amazing immigrants like Rohullah!
You can hear a video Rohullah made on our Immigrant Pathways Colorado YouTube Channel (Sahil’s story).
Immigrant Pathways Colorado Helps Ethiopian Doctor Complete Her Training
“It has taken me so long to get to this turning point in my life,” says Kedija Hedara, an Ethiopian doctor who recently received a grant from Immigrant Pathways Colorado. “I have the opportunity now to interview for residency in a hospital here in the U.S.”
Kedija completed medical school and practiced as a general physician in Ethiopia before coming to the U.S. in 2011 with her husband and son. The time, effort and money she and her husband invested in training for the exams paid off in five invitations to interview for hospital residencies. The problem was that these hospitals were in five different locations in the U.S., and Kedija had no money to pay for the plane fare and hotel stays necessary to interview for these positions. This is where Immigrant Pathways Colorado entered the picture by granting Kadija the funds to help her reach her goal.
“Thank you for your program and the effort you put in to help desperate people like me to stay legal in this country and be able to prosper and establish themselves as individuals and hopefully a citizen in the future.” ~ Kadija
Raad Kurdi
“I want to thank everyone who helped my family to settle in Littleton. Coming to a new country is like suddenly being blind. How do we know what to do? Where do we go? Who will lead us? We were so lucky to have a team of people who helped us to find our way and to finally live in peace.” ~ Raad Kurdi
“When Raad Kurdi and his family were brought to our attention three years ago, it provided us a broader picture of the “real” world experienced by many people in faraway places today. Hearing a person describe how they fled their native land for fear of their lives certainly captured our attention. We were pleased to make a small contribution to Raad and his family and hope that it has continued to be a successful transition. Early reports were that Raad was establishing himself as a hard worker at a local car dealership. His wife was walking to classes daily to acquire the English language and the kids were adapting, as kids do, more easily with their daily interactions at school and in the community.” ~Colin Conway, Breakfast Optimist Club of Littleton