On April 16th, the Twelve WorkOne Regions gathered at the Statehouse in Indianapolis for our annual WorkOne Achievement Award ceremony.  Each Region honored an outstanding individual and outstanding employer for their successful use of WorkOne Services.  

This year the event had a special surprise speaker as the Governor stopped by to congratulate the winners and to encourage the continued success of WorkOne in assisting Hoosiers.  Click here to view images from the event

This year, Region 7 honored Linese Kohlway of Sullivan as our outstanding individual.

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Linese was a recent graduate from Union High School and a single parent when she visited her local WorkOne for assistance in pursuing a career.  Her goal was to become a registered nurse, but she did not have the financial means or support to achieve this degree.  Lenise was also dealing with the difficult situation of her immediate family moving out of the area, creating a housing situation for her and her son.  At WorkOne, Lenise found significant resources to help propel her toward her dream of becoming a nurse, including job search assistance, counseling and career planning, financial aid guidance and help navigating social service agencies.

Lenise enlisted in an occupational skills training program through WorkOne and received financial assistance for tuition and books.  Using these services, Lenise was able to get her Certified Nursing Aid (CNA) license.  Soon after, she graduated with an Associate's Degree in Nursing and later acquired her Registered Nurse license.

Lenise is currently working at Union Hospital in Terre Haute.  She recently received the Wabash Valley Community Foundation scholarship award, which she plans on using to earn her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.  Lenise's acheivements exemplify the hard work and dedication that are attributes of many who walk through the WorkOne door and find guidance and support toward a new career and start on life.