A new Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) initiative is helping people across eastern Kentucky whose college dreams have been deferred get a second chance at completing their educations.

EKCEP’s Finish Up For Free initiative — funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – is paying tuition and other costs for people who need less than 18 credit hours to finish an associate’s degree.

One of these people is Harlan native Jessica Simmons, who is finishing her medical assistant degree at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College’s (SKCTC) Harlan campus for free.

Jessica, now 22, had gone straight from Harlan’s James A. Caywood High School to SKCTC to study to be a medical assistant, a career she developed an interest in during high school. She finished most of the requirements for the program, but left school before taking the last two classes required to complete her associate’s degree.

“I just wanted a break. I was just burned out on school,” she said.

Jessica got a part-time job working in the bakery/deli at a local grocery store.

“In my head I thought I’d just take a semester off,” she said.

But one semester turned into two years, and though Jessica was content for a while to work in the deli, she soon felt a growing sense of dissatisfaction and began to feel that she had made a mistake.

“I started getting bored with myself,” she said. “And I saw everyone else around me getting full time jobs and starting their lives. I really wanted that for myself, too.”

So Jessica went back to school for the fall 2008 semester, but was not able to return for the spring 2009 semester. When she met with her adviser to talk about registering for the fall 2009 semester, he told her about EKCEP’s Finish Up For Free initiative and how it could help her clear some of the financial hurdles that were blocking the path to her degree.

Jessica met with Megan Mosley, a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) career adviser at Harlan County Community Action Agency (HCCAA). HCAA provides Finish Up For Free and other Workforce Investment Act services Harlan County in partnership with EKCEP.

Megan arranged for Jessica to get the help she needed to pay for her tuition, books, and even transportation and meals while attending classes, all of which made Jessica’s road back to school much smoother.

“It helps me out a lot. I don’t have to do it all on my own,” Jessica said, smiling.

Megan said she was glad to help Jessica make more of her life by going back to school.

“She’s a wonderful, kind person. She’ll make a great medical assistant,” Megan said proudly.

Jessica said she enjoys being back in school, especially because it gives her the feeling that she is finally living up to her full potential. She said she looks forward to starting a rewarding career as a medical assistant after she graduates.

She said she believes the job will never be boring because it mixes both medical and administrative work.

“I think it would be something new every day,” Jessica said.

EKCEP’s Finish Up For Free program is helping more than 150 other students like Jessica finish their educations. For further information about EKCEP and its programs, visit www.ekcep.org.