UHealth Tower medical assistant Vanessa West has many reasons to feel proud. The 36 year old single mother recently went back to school to earn her Associates degree at Miami Dade College. She was able to get the resources she needed to get her degree through the 1199SEIU Training and Upgrading Fund – a tuition reimbursement program for healthcare workers that is included in their union contract. West was grateful for the financial help but admits it was not easy to go back to school because she works full-time and is raising her daughter alone. But she was struggling financially, and she knew a better education could help her advance her career and salary.

“Perseverance was the key, It was exhausting but I was tired of struggling and frustrated because sometimes I couldn’t provide for my child. I knew going back to school was the key to a better life for me and my daughter,” said West.

Her hard work paid off. West recently graduated. It was a bittersweet time because her grandmother had recently passed.

“I was devastated because I had a spiritual connection with my grandmother. She helped to raise me,” explained West.

At her graduation ceremony, West paid tribute to her grandmother with an image painted on her specially made cap. The self-described Disney fan asked an artist to paint the Cinderella Castle with Tinkerbell flying over it with pixie dust. In the dust were the initials of her grandmother and daughter. The painting also includes fireworks which is another important symbol to West.

“My daughter was a NICU baby so she had to spend several weeks in the hospital after she was born. She was released on the 4^th of July, that’s why the fireworks painted on my cap have a special meaning to me,” explained West.

West achieved another goal. She has been accepted to Florida International University. 

“I tell my coworkers they should apply for the Training and Upgrading Fund so they can go back to school too. This program is hugely beneficial and it’s a great example of the benefits of our union contract,” explained West.

West and her coworkers united through their union 1199SEIU recently to win extra pay and certification for the fibro scan images they have been doing at the hospital. West says it’s yet another example of the power workers have when they stand together and make their voices heard.

“I have been able to accomplish so much since I said yes to joining our union. It is true, we are stronger together,” exclaimed West.