In fourth grade, Victoria Rivera moved in with her grandparents. Despite financial struggles, they provided their granddaughter with a home, stability and love.
In 2017, Rivera graduated from Brownsville Early College High School. She took advantage of the opportunity to take college courses while in high school, graduating with a high-school diploma and dual-enrollment credit from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Unlike many high-school graduates today, Rivera did not begin her post-secondary studies with “undecided” listed as her major. For years, she carried with her a passion for helping people suffering with medical issues. Passion was not Rivera’s only reason for choosing to pursue a college degree.
“I knew that by acquiring a college degree, it would help me get out of poverty,” Rivera said.
The COVID pandemic only intensified Rivera’s resolve to become a nurse, primarily due to her grandparents’ advanced age and their relentless financial struggles. They depended primarily on Social Security to support themselves and their granddaughter. Although Rivera’s sisters did not live with her, they emboldened her to follow her passion.
One of Rivera’s fellow nursing students told her about the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement, a nonprofit organization that has been leading Valley residents out of poverty, through education, for nearly 30 years. In addition to providing financial assistance, VIDA offers participants individual and group counseling to help them overcome the obstacles that could otherwise prevent them from graduating. VIDA also provides guest speakers on relevant topics and volunteer opportunities that allow their participants to show their gratitude through service.
Rivera, employed with a home-health agency at the time and earning $10 an hour, submitted her application to VIDA and gained acceptance. Struggling with a job and the demands of nursing school, Rivera felt an immediate sense of relief.
“VIDA helped ease my worries,” Rivera said. “They helped cover most of my expenses, which took a huge weight off my shoulders. I not once had to worry about how to come up with money to afford my tuition, books or scrubs. My focus was entirely on school.”
Last year, Rivera graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and passed the licensing exam to earn the title of registered nurse. She works at Valley Baptist Medical Center, earning over $80,000 a year. She now lives her passion and fully acknowledges the role VIDA played in making this possible.
“VIDA helps individuals, like me, who live in poverty pursue a career of their dreams by helping them financially,” Rivera said. “If it were not for this program’s existence, I would not have been able to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It almost seems unreal, even saying it, as I never thought I would have been able to pursue this degree due to not being able to afford it.”
VIDA changed that.
“With VIDA’s support, I no longer had to choose between supporting myself financially or paying for school,” Rivera added. “I was able to excel in all of my classes because I did not have to worry about the financial aspect of school.”