February 2025 Newsletter

Edith, CNA

We wanted to share a success story from one of our recent Proxima Scholar’s, Edith.

For Proxima Scholar Edith, getting hired as a CNA at the University of Utah’s Cardiovascular Medical Surgery Unit was a lifelong dream come true. “I got my first step into the hospital — that is the greatest feeling,” Smith said. “Once you’re there, you can climb up.” She remembers volunteering at her local nursing home when she was just 9 years old. Now, many years later, those experiences have stuck with her.

“When I was there helping, I knew — this is what I love to do,” she said. “I enjoy it actually: seeing those people smile, helping them, making their day wherever I can.” Despite her passion, finances were proving to be an insurmountable barrier for Edith, especially as a single mom. That’s where Proxima Careers comes in.

Edith connected with Proxima in the summer of 2024, early on in Proxima’s origin story. Proxima was able to break through financial barriers, provided job readiness training, and offer much needed community support, allowing her to finally pursue her dream job of nursing. Edith said that the support she received from Proxima helped navigate the hard challenges that came along with school: from one-on-one resume support with Dr. Brianda De Leon to Melissa Del Castillo being there to answer “all the questions”.

Her advice for other students? It’s never too late. While she’s starting as a CNA, she plans to continue school while she works, pursuing her EMT education and eventually becoming a nurse. Her daughters have also begun the process to engage with Proxima, sharing in their mother’s dream.
“You have to put your time if you want this,” Edith said. “Reach out to Proxima. They will answer your questions, they will help you… they actually are right there for you, from the first step to the end of the steps. Even after you get a job, they are there.”

Really incredible Edith! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you and we are excited to see where you go. 🥳

Start of Granite Peak’s Community CNA Cohort

Utah’s Systems of Higher Education

In our work connecting communities with opportunities, we could not do it without our strong partnerships with many of Utah’s Colleges and Universities. Proxima is grateful for Utah’s higher education system, including its colleges, universities, and schools, for their invaluable partnership in expanding access to healthcare education. Their commitment to learning and workforce development has been instrumental in helping us bridge opportunities for Proxima Scholars, ensuring they have the support, resources, and training needed to pursue successful careers in healthcare. We appreciate their collaboration in making education more accessible and building a stronger, more diverse healthcare workforce for our communities.

Proxima and Davis Tech

Upcoming Rose Park Education Open House and Community CNA Training Class

We’re bringing health care training programs closer to home! When our communities express significant interest in a Proxima cohort, we team up with educators and community sites to create a training that combines convenience, quality clinical training, and Proxima’s job readiness workshops. And as usual, Proxima covers the training costs, stays with you until you get the job, and makes sure you have a clear plan for how to continue to advance your career.

Proxima is teaming up with the Salt Lake Center for Science and Education (SLCSE) to host an open house where folks can come learn about how to get started in a healthcare pathway with Proxima. We will also be hosting a community CNA training class in partnership with SLCSE and Utah CNA Training Centers at this location that is available for sign up now. Please see details below!

Proxima and SLCSE “How to Get Started in a Healthcare Pathway” Open House: Come learn about how Proxima can help you get started on a healthcare pathway, what we do to support you, and next steps.

• Thursday, March 13th from 4:00-5:00pm at SLCSE (1400 Goodwin Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84116)

Community CNA Training Cohort located also at SLCSE: Come be a part of our next community CNA training class in the Rose Park area. This is NO cost for community members.

• Class starts Thursday, April 10ths from 4:00-6:00pm and will run for 12 weeks
• A hybrid course with a mix of in-person once a week on Thursdays and completing online coursework
• Requirements: 16 years and older, work authorization in the U.S., English fluency, and an interest in starting a healthcare pathway.

Follow our social media and check out our webpage at proximacareers.org/upcoming-events to learn more about our sponsored training courses.

Our Scholars are Landing Jobs!

We had 4 Scholars get jobs within the University of Utah Health system this past February with another 31 Scholars expected to be certified in March. It is incredibly exciting to see our Scholars start the next step in their journey and we’re looking forward to seeing more scholars start this journey at U Health and the other health systems that are currently preparing to partner with us. More about our new health care employer partners in our next newsletter!

Expanding our impact in Weber, Davis, Utah, and Tooele County

Proxima is thrilled to expand its reach and impact into Weber, Davis, Utah, and Tooele counties! As we grow, we’re excited to connect with new partners and individuals eager to explore healthcare pathways. Our mission remains the same—breaking down barriers to education and careers in healthcare while providing the support for success. We can’t wait to collaborate and make a lasting difference in even more communities!

If you are a partner in any of the counties that we work in or know of some that we could connect with, we would love the connection and partnerships. Please reach out to Kevin from the Proxima team or any of the Proxima team members.

We wanted to share some resources and announcements from some of our partners. Check out these helpful resources below! If you’d like to share your programs, resources, and announcements with us, please let Proxima know and we will be happy to send it out in our monthly newsletter.

• Food Justice Coalition: An organization providing healthy food for those who may be experiencing food insecurity. If you know of folks that need weekly meals that are at no cost, visit their site to learn more about the Free Lunch Program.
• University of Utah College of Nursing “Acute Care Nursing Among Diverse and Vulnerable Populations” Badge Course Series: Sign up for the free training by clicking this link here. Four complimentary modules address challenges in the acute care setting faced by patients and families from diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. Each module features unfolding case studies with professional actors depicting two contrasting scenarios: one that violates principles of equitable care and another that upholds them. Through these modules, healthcare professionals gain critical background knowledge and clinical tools to address key concepts, including Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), health equity, cultural sensitivity, and personal and collegial resiliency.
• ASCENT Research Training Program in Sexual and Reproductive: Fill out this form if you are interested in applying for this opportunity. The ASCENT Research Training Program in SRHRJ is offering a 10-week summer intensive training program for a new cadre of aspiring researchers and clinician scientists interested in issues around SRHRJ and community-engaged research. This program is open to scholars from all levels, including upper undergraduates, graduate students, post-baccalaureate, post-doctoral, clinical trainees, and early-career professionals nationwide.

Happy Spring… we think. We hope you enjoyed some of the tidbits from our newsletter. From our many Scholars pushing towards the finish line with starting their clinical externships — to Proxima meeting new partners across the Wasatch Front, it’s been an exciting month. Thank you again for the work you do in the communities across the valley! To end this newsletter, I wanted to share an awesome quote that I had read.

“United we are rock, divided we are sand”

Let’s continue to be the rock! 🪨

Wishing you the best,

Kevin Nguyen
Director, Partnerships and Community Engagement
Email: kn@proximacareers.org Phone: 801-835-1715