NOAH PALINKAS & NAVAEH COFFEY
ALUM N I
Q&A with CNA Alumni For Noah Palinkas, a nursing degree was
of transferring patients from beds to the
set her up for success once it was time to
not a part of the original plan.
wheelchair. I’ve noticed many people have
enter college. Ever since a young child,
different ways of transferring patients to
Nevaeh was determined to enter the medical
After graduating high school in 2022, Noah
wheelchairs, so it was interesting to develop
field—but she wasn’t quite sure where her
aimed to be a teacher—but when looking
my own process.”
talents and passions would take her, until she learned about the CNA program at CVCC.
at different opportunities and exploring the field a bit more, Noah realized that his goals
What
the
She decided that the CNA program was a
did not align with a teaching career. After
Alexander Complex different from other
makes
an
education
at
perfect way to become acclimated to the
spending time in the world of education, he
places?
world of healthcare.
felt a bit stumped, until someone reached
“I was originally going to attend a different
out and noticed his emerging talents within
4-year university, but CVCC opened their
Describe your first day at the Alexander
the healthcare field. Noah reflected on the
doors wide and made me part of their family.
Complex.
prosepct of a healthcare career for a while.
The staff at Alexander Complex are very kind,
“When I walked into the first class at the
He searched for a variety of Health Education
and the instructors are amazing. Ms. Sharon
Alexander Complex, I felt pretty intimidated,
programs and decided to enroll in the
Cox and Ms. Elen Gibbs spoke with us a lot
but I continued on and sat down at a seat
4-month Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
and held meaningful conversations.“
anyways. My instructor, Ms. Brown, came in and welcomed everyone with open arms.
course at the CVCC Alexander Complex. What does the future hold for you?
I noticed from the beginning she was quite
Education and healthcare are two very
“Currently, I have a job with HomeInstead, in
sweet, and she treated everyone equally no
different fields. What brought you to the
Hickory, and I’ve also taken on an additional
matter their experience level, which helped
CNA program?
side-job. For the upcoming semester, I have
me ease up a bit. The lab was set up well, and
“I live within Alexander County, but I wanted
already registered for the Phlebotomy course
I enjoyed doing the lab work during class. I
to try something outside of my current field.
with CVCC’s Continuing Education on East
would definitely recommend the CNA course,
I had seen the impact of nursing firsthand
Campus. I am also working on earning my
even if you don’t feel like it’s necessarily “for
during my last year of high school, when
pre-requisites for the CVCC Nursing Program,
you—you will learn a lot.”
both my grandma and grandpa passed away.
so that I can obtain my Associate Degree in
Many people in the hospital told me I would
Nursing (ADN).”
be a good CNA. I’d say the most challenging part of attending CVCC and taking the CNA program was not to feel down about myself, because I was uncertain whether other students would have an advantage over me in this program.” What was your favorite part of the CNA
“
Why did you pursue the CNA program?
THE STAFF AT ALEXANDER COMPLEX ARE VERY KIND, AND THE INSTRUCTORS ARE AMAZING.
Nevaeh Coffey is a self-starter.
”
program at the Alexander Complex?
“From a young age, I grew into the idea of nursing; I’m a strong learner, and I graduated high school at sixteen years old. I wanted to get a boost in the nursing program at CVCC, and I began the CNA course at the Alexander Complex so that I could have those skills under my belt before I went into the Nursing (ADN) program at the college the following year. Practicing these medical skills hands-
“My favorite part was developing hands-on
After graduating from high school at 16 years
on has helped me in more ways than one.
skills. I adopted new abilities I never thought
old, she wanted to continue her education
Personally, I’ve always been the type to learn
I would be able to pick up, like the process
and earn professional credentials that could
something new, obtain those skills after a few C V C C S O A R MA G A ZI NE
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