Apprentice Spotlight: Nyima Tutwilder – Success Story

Nyima Tutwilder successfully completed the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Registered Apprenticeship program in April of 2024. This opportunity was made possible through a labor-management partnership between the Center for Caregiver Advancement (CCA) and Excell Health Care Center, a skilled nursing facility in Oakland, California. Motivated by her desire to start over and work with older adults, Nyima made the decision to leave her licensed cosmetologist role to pursue the CNA program — a program that she learned about through her mother, a union member.

Nyima realized she would first need to complete her high school diploma, and with the help of CCA, tackled that first. She describes 2024 as “a good year,” as she both completed her high school diploma and earned her CNA license.

“The CNA apprenticeship is an awesome opportunity. Based on my experience in the program, I’d say to anyone, if you’re at a crossroads and thinking about going into healthcare, you should do an apprenticeship."

Nyima’s role as a CNA has been transformative, allowing her to grow both personally and professionally. Her dedication and skills recently led Excell to encourage her to apply for a Social Worker Assistant position, a field entirely new to her. Despite her lack of prior direct experience, she secured the role and is now thriving, drawing on her CNA training and past experiences to succeed. She remains committed to maintaining her CNA license and plans to seek supplemental on-call CNA work to help address workforce shortages and continue to work with older adults.

“The CNA apprenticeship is an awesome opportunity,” Nyima reflects. “Based on my experience in the program, I’d say to anyone, if you’re at a crossroads and thinking about going into healthcare, you should do an apprenticeship.” Nyima’s journey to becoming a healthcare professional was a rewarding one, and her success has already had ripple effects in her own family: witnessing her mother’s transformative experience, Nyima’s daughter was inspired to pursue a career as a Registered Nurse.

Looking ahead, Nyima is considering a variety of career paths, including pursuing a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) program, exploring X-ray technology, or maybe even social work. She is focused on making the best of the next seven years of her life, and on setting herself up for continued success.