As a single parent living with her mother and working low wage jobs, Lydia Vela realized she had to take the steps to improve her life and her daughter’s. Needing financial support while she was enrolled in the Bachelors of Science in Nursing program at the University of Texas Pan American, Lydia sought assistance from the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA).
VIDA had received a High Growth Job Training Initiative Grant from the USDOL ETA to serve 262 individuals. This grant was to remove the barriers that prevent residents in the Rio Grande Valley from obtaining high paying, high demand occupations in the health care field.
Lydia was selected by VIDA to receive training in the program which offered her tuition and fees, case management services, books, training supplies, and transportation. Upon her graduation from UTPA in the fall of 2005, Lydia got a job at the Edinburg Children’s Hospital and at Mission Hospital at $19.50 per hour with benefits. Lydia was able to break out of the cycle of poverty with assistance from VIDA and her own determination to succeed. Lydia is well on her way to a better life for her daughter and herself.
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