Angela Price feels that a dream delayed is far better than a dream denied.

Angela waited 15 years to become a registered nurse. Having to work while attending Morehead State University (MSU) part-time forced her to stretch what normally is a two-year program of study out to five. During her final semester of classes when her finances were stretched nearly to the breaking point, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program ensured that her dream of having a medical career would not be delayed further or denied.

Angela graduated from MSU in May 2003, and immediately began working as a registered nurse on the Cardiac/Orthopedic Wing at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead. The job represents the successful end of a long journey, Angela said.

"This is always what I wanted to do, but I got married right out of high school at 17 and had two kids," she said. "That put everything on hold."

Angela promised herself that she would pursue college once her youngest child started first grade. When that happened in 1998, she enrolled at MSU to seek her associate's degree in registered nursing.

During the first four and one-half years of her studies, Angela juggled a busy schedule that included nursing classes two days per week, clinicals two days per week, and working Monday through Friday as a receptionist at the Morgan County Health Department, a job that she had held for 10 years. As her classes and clinical work became more challenging, Angela said it became obvious she could not meet their demands and continue to work.

Roughly five months before her graduation, Angela and her husband decided they were secure enough for her to leave her job and focus on wrapping up her studies. But the change brought on more of a financial crunch than they had anticipated, she said. Then one day she was sharing her troubles with a classmate and the classmate suggested a possible solution to those troubles-the WIA program.

"She said she went to Gateway Community Service Organization (CSO) to seek assistance, and that I ought to go check it out, too," Angela said. Gateway CSO delivers WIA program services under contract with Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP), which administers WIA throughout eastern Kentucky. Angela took her friend's advice and visited Gateway CSO, where she met WIA Case Manager Sidney Castle.

Although financial aid paid much of her tuition and book fees, things were looking pretty tough for Angela by the time she became enrolled in the WIA program in March 2003, Sidney said.

"Even though she was that close to completing her education, she had come to a point where she seriously thought she might have to drop out if she didn't get some help," Sidney said. "She had to take care of her children and travel back and forth to campus and clinicals. It had gotten where she couldn't afford to go."

The WIA provided supportive services funding that paid transportation and food expenses related to her college studies.

"It made a big difference in my life, and made finishing college a lot easier on me," Angela said.

That positive intervention is what makes the WIA such a vital resource for thousands of eastern Kentuckians, Sidney said.

"She found us, and we didn't help her that long," Sidney said, "but think about what could have happened had she not found out about our services when she did. We're just thrilled that she completed her studies, and she's doing great on her job."

Angela's dream is now a reality, and WIA helped make that happen. The program can do the same thing for anyone else stuck in a tough predicament, Angela said.

"If someone can qualify for it and get the assistance, I say, 'Go for it,'" she said. "It made a big difference for me, and it can make a big difference for you."