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“My name is Andy J. Ponce Vasquez, and I am from Ecuador. I was enrolled in nursing school for four years and graduated in the year 2013 in Ecuador. During my last year in my internship as a nurse, I met my girlfriend at that time, now my wife, and because she is from Chicago, we decided to get married and move to Chicago together. Once here, in 2014, I started the process to become a Registered Nurse in the United States. I am never going to forget the several steps that this process involved. With a level below average in English, I started with the first step to be a nurse in Chicago. Due to the complexity of the process and the lack of my proficiency in the English language, I felt desperate and overwhelmed. However, one afternoon, I found Chicago Bilingual Nursing Consortium, CBNC, on the internet, and they came in the exact moment to relieve the tension that I was feeling.

CBNC gave me the opportunity to clearly understand the steps to take from the beginning to the end of this process; transfer my school credits was the first echelon, improve my English was the second, pass the TOEFL exam as the third, and finally pass the NCLEX exam. With the purpose of improving my English to pass the TOEFL exam, I took ESL, writing, speech, and medical terminology classes as preparation during the first year and a half. It was a challenge that I was able to overcome in the third endeavor. The NCLEX exam was the final goal, and CBNC helped me to feel confident to take the exam. Their preparation course gave me the spur to not surrender in this dream. During the process, they were always interested in my progress towards studying for the test. Finally, after studying forty hours per week for two months and with my wife’s unconditional support, on April 19th, 2017, I passed the NCLEX exam on my first attempt with 75 questions.

CBNC is not only an organization that helps you to be prepared to take the NCLEX exam; CBNC prepares you to succeed and to trust in yourself. They are continuously concerned about your progress as an international nurse. I couldn’t do it without help, and CBNC was who I needed.”

“My name is Diana Pulido Licea, 26 years old. I was raised in Chicago but moved to Mexico with my family at the age of 10. I studied nursing in the University of Guadalajara and graduated in 2013. That year I moved back to Chicago and have had a hard time to get my RN License. Reasons?? Not knowing the steps, I had forgotten the language, budget, time to be able to work through the process, I struggled with two jobs to move on and the major reason is being away from my own country and family for support when I feel I can’t do it anymore.

Luckily, after working with CGFNS and TOEFL for almost 2 years I found CBNC and amazing people that have encouraged me and so many international RN’s to keep moving forward to achieve our dream of working in the medical field we LOVE!

We all have our up’s and down’s but as long as we have faith, believe in ourselves and the reminder that “WE CAN DO THIS”, We will do this.

I highly thank Paula Schipiour for all of her support, she is a big inspiration to all of us, and I thank CBNC for the opportunity of the NCLEX -RN review plus all the great courses they offer to help us. “

“Being born in a village in Cameroon, as the sixth of seven children, I was fortunate to graduate from high school. I was blessed with a loving and hardworking mother who valued education. I remember my mother holding my hands, saying “My Daughter, I feel your passion for nursing, but I cannot afford nursing school. I pray that God grants your wish someday.”

I moved to America in 2001, after our mother passed away. By 2005, I was working as a CNA and taking English classes at College of DuPage. Encouraged by my patients I enrolled to nursing school in 2009. Nursing school was a rough journey but with the support of my instructors I graduated in 2012. I took the board exam a couple of times and was disappointed and discouraged that I had not passed. I was confused and depressed.

One day a friend introduced me to a former student of Chicago Bilingual Nursing Consortium (CBNC). I learned so much in a short time. The NCLEX-RN Preparation Course taught me about the fundamentals of nursing and other areas that I was struggling with. Through CBNC I learned how to use critical thinking and problem solving to answer questions. The instructor gave me the support and encouragement I needed to be successful and pursue my BSN.” I have been working as a RN for over 18 months and am pursuing BSN at Benedictine University. I will graduate in spring 2016. I thank God every day for making my dream come true. Thank you, America.” (May, 2016)

Update: Here are things that happened in my life since the last time we met. I graduated with honors from Benedictine University with a BSN in May 2016. I was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in October 2016. I became a member of Kappa Gamma Pi in October 2016. I am currently working at Glen Oaks Hospital in Geriatric Treatment Unit for over 6 months. I bought my first home last April and I just moved in two weeks ago. Amazing Grace. God is awesome. – Heleine Kaha

“Hi, my name is Alba Franco. I came to the United States on August 2009 after I married my husband. My experience in the USA has been a completely different from Mexico. First, I have been working hard to become a Registered Nurse in the United States as I am in Mexico. The language has been my biggest challenge, I study every day to achieve success on my career. I love nursing, and I am taking my ESL classes as well as NCLEX classes to become a bilingual nurse. Every day I wake up following my dreams enthusiastically.

In the United States I have had the opportunity to work with the Hispanic population as a medical assistant in Joliet, IL since May 2012. It is a Family Practice clinic, which helps a lot of people with low income, taking care of their illnesses, referrals for specialist and well check-ups yearly. I always enjoy the opportunity of helping others every day at work, which is an amazing opportunity for me while I achieve my goals.”

“My name is Elvyn Adames Cardona. I am from Puerto Rico. I studied in 2011 to 2016 and I became a general nurse, after that I obtained my bachelor’s degree in nursing in the EDP University, San Sebastián, PR. I could not get work immediately in a hospital, so I worked for a Nursing Home for two years.

I love my job as a nurse and this is because I have been looking for different experiences that let me learn and grow professionally. That is how I found out about the Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium; they let me know the licensure process here in this country and supported me in the way. This process has not been easy, coming to another city and not knowing the language, but that let me learn a different kind of work that adds to my experiences and that led me to find a new friend, who is in the same process as me. I hope my English will be better soon, but for now I will continue learning and living that experience.”

“My name is Giaconda Caicedo. I was born in Quito-Ecuador-South America. I wanted all my life to work for the people and give them the knowledge to have a better healthy life.

I as a mother and a nurse worked in different and difficult places in my country including the Andes Mountains and The Amazonia. I also progressed though several levels within the hospital system. Long time ago I wanted to be a nurse in the USA, and my angel who has always put his faith in me is my husband, Felix. We spoke a lot about my dream and followed God’s path for us when I received my green card.

I had been in Chicago for 2 years. The change was a little difficult because I had been learning the government, Nurse Practice, driving regulations, there are distinctions between who speak English with who doesn’t. I had the honor of seeing my dear son graduate with his bachelor’s degree.

I began with a good attitude always wanting to learn more. I want to get my nursing license and be a nurse volunteer if my God wants.”

“My name is Alicia Garcia, I was born in Argentina. I studied nursing in three different institutions with different levels; I did the first level for Auxiliary nursing in the Red Cross of my city, Tandil. I got a job as a nurse in a public hospital. The second level, professional nursing was in a private university during two years in another city while I was working in the hospital, and I finish my degree for nursing in a public university during two years.

My tutor has a big problem (her son was diagnosis with cancer) so I have been waiting a long time to avoid changing tutors. I came to Chicago 2 years ago with my husband; he is working for a company while I try to learn English here. I took different classes in Truman College and Lakeview Learning Center but I know that I need more classes and practice.

I found out about Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium online and I came for information since I was told that the NCLEX test is really difficult. I know that maybe it is the true, but it is not impossible.

I wish to go back to Argentina but I do not exactly when… Today I choose to be here taking classes and preparing for the NCLEX-RN.”

“I’m a registered nurse from Venezuela. I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management in Venezuela. I have been in Chicago for two years.

My life here has been a little hard at times: the language, the culture, and the distance from my family. However, I make an effort to get my goals here. Now, I’m ready for the TOEFL and I feel very comfortable with all aspects of American culture.

Luckily I found CBNC online and I was able to join your organization. Moreover, CBNC’s services help me with the RN licensure process.”

“Moving to a new country is never easy. You leave behind your family, your job and even your language. You need to start all over again, even if you have already spent lots of years earning your diploma. When I first arrived to the US, 3 years ago, I had to start from the basics. After taking some classes to improve my English, I found myself lost and alone in a very long a bureaucratic path to validate my degree.

The whole process is far from being easy. You need to take a couple of very difficult exams on top of doing all the paperwork. I consider myself very lucky to have found CBNC on my way. They helped me in so many ways that any statement I could make would not be enough. At CBNC I got all the information and support needed to navigate through the whole process. I had the opportunity to take classes to prepare for the NCLEX-RN which were fundamental for me to finally pass the exam. Finally, but not least, I met a very nice group of people that convinced me that it was possible for me to get my goals. I’m very thankful to have found them. My story would be very different without them.”

“My Name is Karen McShane. While finishing my nursing program in Chile, I came to Chicago to take an English course for 3 months, that is when I met my now husband on the airplane, yes on an 11 hour flight where he sat next to me. It was very romantic! We started a relationship almost immediately. After 3 months I went back to Chile and we continued having a long distance relationship for about 1 year. I had told him that would never move to U.S if I couldn’t be a nurse. That is when he started researching and he found Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium, he talked to me about how they help nurses coming from other countries to become nurses in the US. Then we decided to get marry and I moved to the U.S. As soon as I got to Chicago I reach out to CBNC, which became my family for a year and a half. The entire process was very overwhelming, many times I wanted to give up and not become a nurse again, I felt like my life was on hold and the frustration of not working as a nurse knowing that I had work so hard to become one was in my mind every day. Having the support of CNBC every step of the way was essential for me. Their wonderful NCLEX preparation class formulated specifically for us, nurses educated in other countries, is unique because it helped us adjust our critical thinking to the US guidelines for nurses. Also getting to know other nurses that were going through the same process and many times felt the same way, showed me that I was not alone and that as a group we could help each other. After I passed the NCLEX we celebrated together and even when I got my first Job I really felt how happy everyone was for my achievement. That is why I say that CNBC became my family and they will always be part of my life.”

“My name is Mirjana Ivkov and I am a foreign Registered Nurse from Serbia. I have just been licensed for Illinois state. It sounds real to me now, but a month ago I was hopeless that I would ever get Illinois RN license. So, I really understand the struggle and every other emotion related to this process.

Five years ago I applied for NY state license. After a year or so I was eligible to take NCLEX-RN test, so I came to Chicago just to take the test. When I passed the test and got my New York License, I was ready to go back to New York. At that time I met my husband here in Chicago and decided to stay here and start the whole process again for IL state. I didn’t realize that it would take more than two years for my credential evaluation only. My worst night mare was CGFNS International. Although they had most of my documents from the previous evaluation, they wanted me to send all the documents again. But, they did not tell me immediately all of that, they would tell me to send one document from certain institution and after two months they would ask for another one, and so on and so forth for another two years. At one point I was asked if I finished primary school and if I did so to send documents from the school. I couldn’t believe what they are asking for, after all those sent documents from both high school and college… I was scared to death that I would never be a RN in IL state. At that time I was told about the Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium that helps foreign nurses to get their licenses. I was stunned, I couldn’t believe that there is somebody who really cares about us and who is ready to help us. So, I went there, told my story and Mrs. Kubala and her team told me that they would do their best to help me. And they did. As a result of their effort I got my license after few months. When I received an email from Springfield, IDPFR, that I am now RN in state of Illinois, I could not breathe. I could not believe that it was over. I immediately called Maria Cervera to tell her the good news. If she had been next to me at that moment I would have hugged her that she could not breathe. For me, Mrs. Kubala and her team are the rock stars, and I owe them so much that I cannot describe that with words. This was not only my victory but also a victory of the people from Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium who work very hard and give their best for our future and success.

Currently, I am working at one retina center as a RN. Still, I am looking for a RN position in Operating Room since I have 10 years of experience in Operating Room from my country and I am really passionate about that career.

My message to other IENs is: I know that you sometimes feel overwhelmed and frustrated. I know that you would sometimes rather give up than study for TOEFL, NCLEX or call CGFNS International to deal with them, but I just want to ask you for one favor, DO NOT GIVE UP, please. You can scream, cry, yell, but do not give up, because the next year you could be in my shoes, licensed in Illinois state and writing a letter of encouragement for other people who are still trying to get their licenses.”

“My name is Fabiola Hernandez, 29 years old, from Venezuela. I got my degree in nursing in 2008 and I was always interested in doing a master’s degree abroad to be a better professional for my patients. However, the political situation of my country started to be very difficult for the medical field, so I decided to be a surgical nurse, which I love. Beside this, there were many struggles in my profession that forced me to move to another country. Due to availability to find a ticket to go abroad, I had to find the fastest way to be a nurse. Even though I knew that I could be a nurse faster in a Spanish speaking country, I could not find a ticket, so the USA was next on my list of possible destinations. As a result, I found the Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium after spending many hours on the computer. It has been very helpful giving me all the information available and possible resources to make my process faster. Even so, the process to be a nurse in the US gives me a very hard time. I am here by myself, no family, doing different jobs that are not the most pleasant from bartending to currently babysitting, taking the TOEFL many times, doing the credential evaluation of my degree. Last, but the most important, is getting my permission for work from the political asylum process that is another difficult step that I have to culminate in order to pursue my main goal, which is to be a RN in a surgical room in Chicago. Nevertheless, the consortium encouraged me to continue with my goal because they have witnessed the success of many nurses from others countries.”

Helena Pinzon, RN

“My name is Ericka G. Calderon, I’m a Mexican nurse who emigrated to the USA for one main reason which is my family, and I would like to share my history, struggle, and dreams throughout the years since I came to this country.

To begin with, my whole family moved to Chicago when I was still studying the RN career in the autonomous university of Guadalajara. After that stage I decided to continued education even I had to suffer the separation of my beloved ones, those were the most hard years of my life, but I worked so hard and as a result I graduated and I achieved my goal.

Afterwards I got my license and title, I worked in a hospital for about 4 years succeeding in the medical field, however I never stopped missing my family. With this in mind I moved to USA leaving my job, putting a hold on my profession.

Second I did not have my green card for such a long time, therefore I could not take the TOEFL or start thinking about the NCLEX exam. Because of the reason mentioned above, I was hopeless and at some point very depressed.

Finally, my situation changed now. My big dream is to become a RN in this county, with the help of the Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium. They are a strong team whom always are motivating me to look forward in my new career goal. They are wonderful people.”

“My name is Vasty Lopez Espinosa. I am from México. My city is La Paz, Baja California Sur. I studied in 1995 to 1998 and I became a general nurse, after that I obtained my bachelor’s degree in nursing in the Autonomous University of Queretaro, México. I began working as a nurse immediately after my graduation. I have been working close to 18 years now as a nurse. I love my job as a nurse and this is because I have been looking for different experiences that let me learn and grow professionally. That is how I found out about the Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium; they let me know the licensure process here in this country and supported me in the way. This process has not been easy, coming to another city and not knowing the language, without family here, but that let me learn a different kind of work that adds to my experiences and that led me to find a new friend, who is in the same process as me. I hope my English will be better soon, but for now I will continue learning and living that experience.”

“My name is Bernadette Zagula. I was born and raised in Poland, a country located in Central Europe. My story with nursing began when I was a little girl. I remember the day when for the first time I visited my mom in the hospital, it was after her surgery. When I saw her and the other patients I was thrilled. I wanted to do something but I couldn’t help my mom when she was dealing with pain and others recovering after surgery. I was too young to help but that day I decided that I wanted to be a nurse in the future. I graduated nursing school, back in Poland, in June of 2000. I started working as a nurse just after my graduation from nursing school. After working for 3 years, in Poland, I decided that I wanted to move to another country and work there as a nurse. I chose the United States. The real reason why I left Poland and discontinued working as a nurse was not because I didn’t like nursing or did not have satisfaction with my work, the real reason was my monthly salary. I was working in the Intensive Care Unit and the pay that the clinic was paying me was not enough to pay the bills, rent, and other expenses. Working as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit is a very responsible, complicated, and difficult position. My next step was to move to another country. After working three years I had no other option but to leave my family and friends if I wanted to change my life, for the better, and continue working as a nurse. I had no choice but to move to a different country. Here I am today, not yet working as a nurse but I’m very close to being a nurse once again. I’m still struggling with English because it is not my first language but at the same time I’m happy. I’m doing something for myself to make my future better. I’m much stronger compared to when I was living in my home country. I feel more brave which is what giving me the confidence to not give up and to just continue what I started and to achieve my goal of working as a nurse in this country the U.S.A.”

“My name is Sandra. Here is my story. It is not a special story or a heroic story. It is just mine. I am French Canadian. I am born and raised in a suburb of Montreal, in Quebec Canada. My first language is French. I learned English through public school, like Americans learn Spanish as a second language in school. I come from a middle class immigrant family. I went to school and completed my BSN at the University of Montreal. Our professors at the facility kept telling us that nursing is a great profession, it is a universal profession, that the opportunities are unlimited, and as a bonus our degrees will be recognize around the world. I started to work as a vascular nurse who fell in love with wound care. I got an opportunity in sales for a new wound care device. I became successful, made good money and got promoted. My professors were right! Nursing is a great universal profession with unlimited opportunities! And one day, a Chicagoan asked if I wanted to have a drink with him on a corner street in Toronto. Next thing I know, I came to visit him… and never left. We fell in love, got married and the rest is history.

But this is where everything started:

First I needed to get my Green Card that which allowed me to be in the USA and work here. I needed to complete some paperwork, a lot of them. In my case we were called for an interview. We had to prove that our love story was real, that we truly loved each other. It’s a weird thing to do, because you know that your story is real, but you have to prove it and live with the fear that the government official who will review your case may not believe you. Then I had to wait. Wait to know if I would be send back to my country. Wait to know if I will be allowed to live in the US. Wait to know if everything I left behind for a new life was for nothing. This wait was painful and felt like it would never end. Me, I was lucky! I come from a safe country, I understand the language and the culture and I was going through the process with the love of my life. A lot of us come from different countries with different conditions. Some are dangerous, some restrain your freedom and some are at war. Now imagine coming from one of these countries, being alone with a totally different culture and not speaking or understanding English. One day, I got it! I got my Green Card! It was here, in my hands! I can stay here and officially start my American life!!!

Next step working as a nurse:

Nursing, the profession I chose, the one I love and the one that defines a part of who I am. I knew it would not be easy! Where to start?!? I didn’t know where to start or where to go. Google was trying to guide me, but I didn’t know if I could trust it. Everybody had a horror story of someone that had to restart their degree in the US. Even one of my cab drivers, after asking me where I came from (probably because of my accent), was telling me that he was a doctor in his own country (that he left 15 years ago) and was never allowed to practice here… AND ALL THAT it started to freak me out!!! It was hard to believe that the country I chose to live in to build a family in with the man I love, may not allow me to work in the profession I chose. After all the anxiety of getting a Green Card, after all the hard work I already put into getting my degree in my country to secure my future, I started to believe that I may never be allowed to be a nurse again. I may never be allowed to be ME again. That’s how I felt when I first communicated with the Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium (CBNC). They helped me and guided me through the process. They told me what needed to be done and what documents needed to be completed before applying for the NCLEX. They told me what to do and what not to do, to successfully apply and pass the NCLEX. They give me information and offered me classes to pass the NCLEX but most importantly they give me support throughout this ongoing journey of being a nurse again. I don’t know what I would I have done without CBNC.

My story is banal, because I am just Canadian, I speak and understand English, my culture is pretty similar to the American one, I wasn’t alone and I had the financial resources but others don’t have what I have. This is why organizations like CBNC need our support. Thank you CBNC for all you have done for me. “