Photos Above: Tonya and her children during the Climb program 10 years ago and today. After seeing their mom persevere in commercial driving and healthcare, Tonya’s daughter wants to be a nurse and her son a scientist. 

Thanks to friends like you, Climb grads are lighting the way for generations to come!

Waking up in the morning to do something completely scary and new?

Climb grad Tonya has definitely jumped out of her comfort zone before. 

During her Commercial Driving (CDL) training in Gillette more than a decade ago, Tonya found herself sitting high up in the biggest vehicle she’d ever been in, staring at a dashboard of gauges and buttons she didn’t know how to operate. 

“That first year on the job could be intimidating. Every day, I would get up and do something I never thought I’d do,” says Tonya of her Climb job placement at Intermountain Construction, where she was a driver for ten years. 

Recently, Tonya felt ready to push herself into a new career. Just like that first day behind the wheel, she walked into her first nursing class feeling nervous but determined. She recently graduated from Gillette College’s nursing program and works as an R.N. in Campbell County Memorial Hospital’s labor and delivery unit. 

“Climb gave me that ‘I can do it’ mentality in life,” says Tonya. “They were there every step of the way and, when you have that kind of support, you can do anything.”