ACTC's Ready to Work a stepping stone to student success
Aug. 28—ASHLAND, Ky. — Rachel Grubb-Sizemore is one of Ready to Work's many success stories.
Grubb-Sizemore began her journey at Ashland Community and Technical College in 2013 with plans to apply for the Associate Degree Nursing program.
After completing the necessary placement testing, she found her scores did not meet the requirements to apply for the program.
"I was distraught, pregnant and looking to give the child I was carrying a better life. I was determined to make it in the ADN program," she said.
Grubb-Sizemore began to work to improve her test scores so she could be admitted at ACTC.
"I knew it would be a long road, but I did not give up. I showed up every day working to improve my knowledge that would enable me to score higher and gain an entrance to ACTC," she said.
Once admitted to ACTC, Grubb-Sizemore earned her Certified Nurse Aid certification, as well as an Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degree.
"While obtaining these degrees I held an officer position in the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and continued to work in the Ready to Work program. Ready to Work allowed me to pursue a college education and earn money to provide for my family," she said.
Once completing her degrees, Grubb-Sizemore enrolled in the License Practical Nursing program at ACTC before transferring to Kentucky Christian University to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
"I finished my BSN in May of 2020 with a 3.6 GPA during the COVID-19 pandemic. My graduation was postponed due to the changes the virus ensued, but it did not postpone my success," she said. "I applied to the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program at KCU and gained acceptance. I was also voted in as the Student Representative of the FNP class of 2022. I started working as a cardiac step-down nurse then soon went on to travel nursing working the COVID and medical-surgical floors. I am currently a FNP student and will graduate December 2022. I currently hold a 4.0 GPA and have plans to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree after my FNP graduation."
RTW at ACTC has served the community for over 20 years.
RTW is designed to assist low-income parents that are enrolled at a KCTCS institution.
The program serves students enrolled in Skills U, students currently enrolled in college, students previously enrolled in college who owe student debt and want to return to college or RTW college graduates job seeking employment.
RTW offers support for students to balance family, work, and school, potential work study opportunities, advocacy and mentoring, access to daycare and transportation assistance and employment skills training.
RTW serves Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup and Lawrence Counties.
RTW is a partnership between the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the KY Cabinet for Health & Family Services, Department for Community Based Services.
To learn more, contact Miller at regina.miller@kctcs.edu or 326-2216.
