India is a Mary Rigg alumna that is an example of what perseverance, dedication, and hard work looks like.
Meet India Stone. India is a Mary Rigg alumna that is an example of what perseverance, dedication, and hard work looks like. With the help of employment coaches and wrap around services, India has continued to develop herself, her career path and has manifested her goal of going to nursing school this fall.
Like many people that come to Mary Rigg, India was at a place in her life where she needed help in 2004. She isn’t sure if she found us or if we found her, but she will gladly share how grateful she is, regardless of how she got here.
India recently sat down with us and shared some of her accomplishments, big life moments, and gratitude.
Starting with her accomplishments, India became a certified nursing assistant in her first year as a client. It was a big achievement and the foundation of which she will be building for the next 17 years. She was in a good place, but also a new mother. And, while she kept in touch with her employment coach, she wasn’t in need of a lot of the other services available to her.
Around 2012, India was ready to make a bigger step in her career. She also began to find her voice and began realizing that asking for help wasn’t a weakness, it was a strength, and with the help of Chris Emmons, her new employment coach, went on to earn her Medical Assistant certification in 2013. But India wasn’t done. In 2014 she completed her certificate in Phlebotomy. And then, 5 years later in 2019 (and four testing attempts) she successfully passed and became a Qualified Medical Assistant – to which she credits the support of her instructors, the faith and belief others had in her, and those who pushed her when she felt like giving up.
And moments before she came in for her interview, India found out she had been accepted into nursing school. So much hard work, so many challenges, and so much success.
Along those years, there were some personal and financial challenges that India had to conquer. There was also medical equipment to buy, rent to pay, uniforms to buy, work shoes… and those all added up. With the generous support of donors, wrap around services and funds were available to help with all these expenses.
When she started talking about where she was 17 years ago and where she is now, she had no idea she would be a nursing student. It is a dream come true. And when she graduates, you better believe she’s going to come back and to share her story with other students.
