Hello, my name is Amy Lopez-Escobedo, and I am a proud Capital IDEA graduate, mother of three, and Registered Nurse at CommUnity Care. I always felt destined to become a nurse. Since I was little, my mom noted I had a caring nature and would try to help people when they weren’t well. Knowing my destiny, I enrolled in nursing school right after high school, but only lasted a semester before life happened and the years went by.

When I had my children, the nurses that helped with deliveries were superstars, and again I knew I wanted to be a nurse one day. Then my middle child who has medical conditions had us in and out of the hospital and again I saw some amazing nurses not only help him as a patient, but us as parents. That inner calling grew stronger.

I found out about Capital IDEA through my husband’s coworker who was in the program. We attended an information session in August of 2011 and I took my first real step toward my future since leaving nursing school all those years ago. I was accepted as part of a cohort of six nursing students supported by the federal Medicaid 1115 Waiver DSRIP program, administered locally by Central Health and the City of Austin. With the support I needed in place, I was on my way.

I worked hard, made good grades, and gained the skills I would need to be a successful student and a nurse—which I loved! However, life continued to intervene and somewhere around December 2015, things got really hairy. I ended up with pneumonia in the hospital for three days right before finals. I studied in my hospital bed and even more when I returned home. Despite doctors’ orders, I took and passed my finals, but because of how hard I’d pushed myself, the pneumonia lingered for six weeks, followed by bronchitis. Coming up on my final semester, I wasn’t sure if I would survive my last clinical rotation!

Just when I started to recover, my extended family suddenly needed me: two family members ended up in the ICU, my cousin passed away followed a few weeks later by my father-in-law, bringing on more heartache while I tried to study for exams and make time to travel to Mexico for the funeral. I had to be there for my family to grieve with them yet stay emotionally together enough to perform at school and in clinicals.

The added struggles impacted my grades and threatened to delay my graduation, but because of the tremendous support around me, I pushed through and I made it to the end! Thanks first and foremost to God, through and with Him, all things are possible, along with my amazing counselor Suzanne, my awesome professors, the student health sciences counselor, my WIOA counselor and, of course, my backbone: my husband Roman, my kids Ruben, Roman Jade and Ava, and all my extended family – you gave me the support and guidance that I needed to complete the roughest semester of my life!

Now that I have finished, it’s my husband’s turn to complete his degree. Our three children are already considering their college options, and I’ve got my sights set on a BSN with a long-term goal of become a Nurse Practitioner…the sky’s the limit!

I was thrilled to be the first of my graduating class to be hired – I started as a Registered Nurse soon as I had my degree. I am also deeply honored to represent the milestone 1,300th Capital IDEA graduate! The impact that Capital IDEA has had on my life and the lives of my fellow RN students is almost impossible to describe but thanks to Capital IDEA and Central Health, I have my dream job, financial security, and the ability to plan for a future I could not have otherwise imagined.

Hello, my name is Amy Lopez-Escobedo, and I am a proud Capital IDEA graduate, mother of three, and Registered Nurse at CommUnity Care. I always felt destined to become a nurse. Since I was little, my mom noted I had a caring nature and would try to help people when they weren’t well. Knowing my destiny, I enrolled in nursing school right after high school, but only lasted a semester before life happened and the years went by.

When I had my children, the nurses that helped with deliveries were superstars, and again I knew I wanted to be a nurse one day. Then my middle child who has medical conditions had us in and out of the hospital and again I saw some amazing nurses not only help him as a patient, but us as parents. That inner calling grew stronger.

I found out about Capital IDEA through my husband’s coworker who was in the program. We attended an information session in August of 2011 and I took my first real step toward my future since leaving nursing school all those years ago. I was accepted as part of a cohort of six nursing students supported by the federal Medicaid 1115 Waiver DSRIP program, administered locally by Central Health and the City of Austin. With the support I needed in place, I was on my way.

I worked hard, made good grades, and gained the skills I would need to be a successful student and a nurse—which I loved! However, life continued to intervene and somewhere around December 2015, things got really hairy. I ended up with pneumonia in the hospital for three days right before finals. I studied in my hospital bed and even more when I returned home. Despite doctors’ orders, I took and passed my finals, but because of how hard I’d pushed myself, the pneumonia lingered for six weeks, followed by bronchitis. Coming up on my final semester, I wasn’t sure if I would survive my last clinical rotation!

Just when I started to recover, my extended family suddenly needed me: two family members ended up in the ICU, my cousin passed away followed a few weeks later by my father-in-law, bringing on more heartache while I tried to study for exams and make time to travel to Mexico for the funeral. I had to be there for my family to grieve with them yet stay emotionally together enough to perform at school and in clinicals.

The added struggles impacted my grades and threatened to delay my graduation, but because of the tremendous support around me, I pushed through and I made it to the end! Thanks first and foremost to God, through and with Him, all things are possible, along with my amazing counselor Suzanne, my awesome professors, the student health sciences counselor, my WIOA counselor and, of course, my backbone: my husband Roman, my kids Ruben, Roman Jade and Ava, and all my extended family – you gave me the support and guidance that I needed to complete the roughest semester of my life!

Now that I have finished, it’s my husband’s turn to complete his degree. Our three children are already considering their college options, and I’ve got my sights set on a BSN with a long-term goal of become a Nurse Practitioner…the sky’s the limit!

I was thrilled to be the first of my graduating class to be hired – I started as a Registered Nurse soon as I had my degree. I am also deeply honored to represent the milestone 1,300th Capital IDEA graduate! The impact that Capital IDEA has had on my life and the lives of my fellow RN students is almost impossible to describe but thanks to Capital IDEA and Central Health, I have my dream job, financial security, and the ability to plan for a future I could not have otherwise imagined.

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 20, 2016

VIDEO: An Austin mom is giving her family a holiday gift they’ll never forget – she graduated from Austin Community College District Associate Degree Nursing Program this week and now plans to help Travis County solve its nursing shortage. Central Health partnered with the City of Austin to secure federal dollars, which allowed Capital IDEA to pay for faculty to teach nursing classes. Meet Emely and find out how Central Health and our partners are helping connect our community to care.

Video produced by: CentralHealth.net

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In response to the news that many Austin area students have been impacted by the shutdown of ITT Tech, Capital IDEA has put together three short lists of recommendations for those students who wish to move forward in their education and careers.

3 Excellent Education Options in the Greater Austin Area
Capital IDEA has worked with several colleges and training institutions in the Austin area over the past twenty years, and we recommend these education partners.

• Austin Community College
• Temple College
• TSTC – East Williamson County Higher Education Center

3 Promising Career Fields in the Greater Austin Area
We are constantly evaluating the job market in the Austin area to guide our own students towards the most promising career fields. Here are the career fields we’ve identified as offering the best opportunities for good wages and future growth:

• Health Sciences including: Licensed Vocational Nurse, Registered Nurse, and Biotechnology
• Information Technology including: Computer Support services (IT User and Computer Support Specialist at ACC), Systems Administration (LAN System Administrator at ACC)
• Professional Trades and Technology including: Automotive, HVAC, Plumbing, Electrician or Computer Aided Design (CAD)

3 Ways to Pay for Your Education
Pulling together enough financial aid and support to make it through college is tough. Here are three options we recommend every student look into.

• Capital IDEA: For those who qualify for our program, you will receive our full financial support and guidance including tuition, textbooks, and help with childcare. With the overwhelming demands on today’s adults and families, we believe that substantial investment and wrap-around support is needed to help individuals reach their full potential.
• FAFSA: every student should apply for FAFSA, most will qualify for some amount of grant money that doesn’t have to be repaid. Take advantage of the free money you qualify for as a student. Those extra dollars can be a huge help.
• ACC Foundation Scholarships: the ACC foundation has an abundance of scholarships available to their students, and they’ve created a system to allow students to apply to multiple scholarships with a single application. If you’re considering ACC, don’t skip this application.

This is our short list of recommendations but please also visit our Links page for a full list of other programs we recommend.

With support from local employers, Capital IDEA and Austin Community College, 100 paid internships are available for three Tech Career programs. Internships are an advantage in this booming industry – training will now include a year of paid, real work experience. As with our other sponsored careers, Capital IDEA fully funds tuition, books and fees for qualified students.

Don’t miss this opportunity and get started today!

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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2016

Travis County is a long-time investor in Capital IDEA. Funds from Travis County are given to allow Capital IDEA to deliver services that help individuals improve workplace skills, obtain employment, succeed in the workplace, and help employers secure a skilled workforce.

In 2016, Travis County increased their engagement with a decision to host interns in their IT Department. This commitment made Travis County one of Capital IDEA’s first employer partners to host a Career Expressway Tech student, a pilot program launched in 2015.

Capital IDEA’s Career Expressway students are heading for a great career in IT, and along the way we work to provide them with internships that introduce them to an IT workplace. Travis County’s decision to host interns means they share our vision, value local talent, and understand what’s heroic about getting the education required for a great job.

You can read more in the Austin American-Statesman article posted June 25^th by Dan Zehr, found here.

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PUBLISHED JUNE 15, 2016

Impact Austin members have selected Capital IDEA as a grant recipient twice! In 2009 an award of $102,000 funded college tuition, books and fees for students; and a 2016 award of $94,000 will allow Capital IDEA to serve more rural moms pursuing the education to secure a great career.

Impact Austin generates excitement and awareness about the wonderful nonprofits operating in the community, and the impact of their funding goes beyond dollars—when members share stories of nonprofit programming, they encourage larger audiences to support critical programs.

Impact Austin began in 2003 as one of the largest women’s philanthropy groups in the nation. Impact Austin members are dedicated to helping women become philanthropists in our community. Members’ annual donations are added together to give multiple high-impact grants each year to local nonprofits. Membership requirements are simply to be female and to make a $1,250 donation each year, with $1,000 going to provide grants for the important work done by grant recipients and $250 going back into Impact Austin to support daily operations and membership development.

And to make an even greater impact, they have also started the Girls Giving Grants (g3) youth initiative. The group is made up of young philanthropists who are learning to be generous and informed givers. The organization creates philanthropic opportunities for girls in the Austin area in grades 8-12 and provides up to 30 hours of community service credit

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