Nakari Rodriguez

Nakari Rodriguez arrived in the United States 13 years ago from Venezuela and decided to enroll in the CNA course after her youngest of five children began 1st grade. "The first time I came [to DATC], I didn't speak English at all. I could understand a little bit, but I was scared to talk."

However, with great motivation from her instructors, Nakari was told that she had the ability to graduate from the program and become employable. Nakari proved to herself that she could do it and graduated from the CNA program after 3 months of training. Immediately after receiving her CNA certificate, her instructor offered her a position as a teaching assistant.

Nakari has now received her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) certification and has been accepted into the Registered Nurse (RN) program at the DATC. She is currently teaching full-time as a CNA instructor at the DATC and working part-time as an LPN at Sunrise Assisted Living on the weekend.