Jennifer Messer is a mother of three with a drive to help others and care for her community. She leaned on those traits during responses to not one, but two hurricanes. Jennifer lived in Wilmington, North Carolina during Hurricane Florence in 2018 and learned how quickly weather can change from manageable to devastating. She decided to relocate to western North Carolina, finding work and building a life for her family.
As Hurricane Helene approached North Carolina, Messer had an unsettling feeling. She started joining hurricane support groups online, like she had done during Hurricane Florence. As the devastation of the storm was realized, she found herself to be one of a few people in the area with cell phone service. Her immediate response was to help. Over the next few days, she used social media to help people find their loved ones, making her way to their homes to check in.
“I was knocking on the doors of complete and utter strangers,” said Messer. “I connected people so they could use our phone to let their loved ones know they were okay, to share supplies they needed, or to find help evacuating.”
It felt good to make those connections, but Messer felt the need to do more. She asked her family in West Virginia to donate toward supplies, then made deliveries to different communities to provide relief. She spent weeks doing everything she could to care for her own family while responding to community needs. As good as it felt to help, she found herself asking what more she could do. Her thoughts turned to building her skills to be ready for the next storm, entertaining the idea of going back to school.
By early January, Messer decided her next step would be completing a CNA certificate and building toward a career in nursing. More than 15 years ago, she had taken a Nurse Aide class, but was unable to graduate because of her late-stage pregnancy. On the day she started looking for information about McDowell Tech’s CNA program, she found that classes had already begun and students were on their second day of learning. Determined to keep moving forward, she reached out to program director Sarah Jornigan.
“I was like, ‘Look, I'm really smart. I can catch up really quickly’” said Messer. “‘If you will give me the opportunity to jump into this program, I promise you I will do great!’”
Inspired by Messer’s determination, Jornigan added her to the program, which had already reached capacity.
Messer enrolled and started catching up with coursework, uncertain how she would cover tuition expenses. She had kids to feed and bills that were due, despite being unable to return to her job at the restaurant she worked at in Asheville, which was unable to reopen after the storm.
Messer was connected with tuition support and encouraged her to apply for an emergency grant available through funding provided by the State of North Carolina to help Helene-impacted students stay in school.
“Because of that grant funding and support, I was able to pay my tuition in full and cover my class materials and uniforms for clinicals,” said Messer. “Because my essential bills were covered, I was able to stay focused on classes and finish strong.”
Messer earned a 4.0 GPA and she was included among students receiving the MTCC President's List distinction. In May, at 39 years old, she walked the stage as a graduate for the first time in her life to receive her CNA certificate.
“Your support has given me more than money,” said Messer. “It gave me purpose, dignity, and the ability to build a future, not just for me, but for my family. It enabled me to become a part of the community. So thank you for believing in people like me.”
Visit our WNC Recovery Stories page to find more stories about student grant recipients, and to learn more about the people and organizations making a difference in western North Carolina.