Aja Martin - James E. Jones Healthcare Excellence Award
Hearing a friend speak about her passion for her work as a
Certified Nurse Aide provided the spark of inspiration that prompted
Aja Martin to explore a new career field.
Aja had nearly completed a degree in education at the
University of South Carolina before realizing teaching wasn't her true calling. She worked in cell phone sales for eight years as she pondered what she wanted to do with her life, but had no real passion for her work. Then, she heard about the training programs offered at
Goodwill.
"It just opened a doorway," Aja recalls of her enrollment in Goodwill's Certified Nurse Aide (
C.N.A.) training program. "
Everything just started falling into place."
Aja's dedication to her training with Goodwill was evident. She commuted from
Columbia to
Greenville to participate in classes for several weeks before deciding to move back to Greenville so she could commit fully to the program. She finished the course with the highest
GPA in her class.
"I feel like Goodwill goes out of their way to make sure they are there for you," Aja says. "They're going to push you. They're going to expect things from you. They're going to want more from you than you actually want from yourself. But it's a good thing.
It's all about providing the things you need to make yourself better."
Now employed as a C.N.A. with Greenville
Hospital System's Cottages at
Brushy Creek, Aja glows with joy as she talks about "her" elders and her time with them. "It's one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things
I've ever done," she says. "I love my elders so much. It's just giving what I know that I can give and doing it the best I can."
As she looks toward the future, Aja has very clear goals for herself. She plans to get a
Bachelor's Degree in
Nursing, then go back to finish her education degree in hopes that she will have the opportunity to one day teach other young nursing students.
"I'm in such a different place right now. It's been such a tough road, but
...it can be a tough road but you don't have to stop. I'm not ready to stop. I'm ready to keep going.
"I'm really excited about the future."