---

“I’ve always wanted to further my education, so I immediately enrolled in college. Unfortunately, my life was challenging and full of hurdles, including various points of homelessness and domestic abuse.”

These major factors deterred Richardson from completing her educational goal of attending and graduating from college.

To support herself, Richardson held numerous jobs, but they required little to no skills and no room for advancement.

“I was sick and tired of doing meaningless work that led to nothing. I knew I wanted to add value to wherever my next place of employment would be, and I was determined to secure something that paid more than minimum wage, so I started looking for other opportunities.”

Months later, while at work, Richardson discovered an ad on Instagram for the Manhattan EOC’s free Electronic Health Records program.

“I was feeling hopeless and depressed about my situation and instability at the time. Then I saw the ad. I knew it was a sign because of the timing and the fact I was ready for change.”

In fall 2021, Richardson applied and enrolled in the EHR program.

“The EHR program made sense to me. Previously, I worked for United Healthcare and a local hospital in their medical records department. My skills were transferrable, and I wanted to learn more about patient health, which is key to becoming a nutritionist – my goal.”

In December 2021, Richardson completed the program and earned an EHR Specialist certification.

“I was happy and shocked all at once because the classes were difficult. But I have to say that my instructor, advisors and ATTAIN Lab Manager were beyond supportive, encouraging, and most importantly, available. The main benefits for enrolling – besides the ease of access – were the valuable skills I was taught.”