In regards to my future, I am ready for growth and to work hard to achieve my dreams,

Hello my name is Amber Lynn Ziegler-Williams. I am a 20 year old female. Working as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Lakeside Assisted Living and Memory Care in Winchester Idaho. I primarily work in the Memory Care Unit dealing with Dementia and End of Life Comfort Care residents.

My nurses have delegated me with extensive teaching and demonstration on Wound Care and Liquid End of Life Comfort Care Medication as each event arises. I do pick up extra shifts in the Behavioral and Mental Health Units on my days off, to further strengthen my education and to improve my experience in the healthcare field, as in being better equipped to handle various situations as they arise.

Throughout my experience I have worked as a Janitor, Housekeeper, Dishwasher, Kitchen Lead, Caregiver, and Nursing Assistant (NA), all before obtaining my CNA. I started my career at Lakeside when I was 17 years old. Lakeside has helped me obtain my Food Handlers, First Aid, AED, Assistant with medications (AWM),and Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR & HeartSaver CPR certifications.

I graduated from the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy (IDYCA) in 2022 – 1st class of the cycle previously to my employment at Lakeside. The Academy was a 19 week self improvement program I went to. That was a quasi military school. Living at the academy gave me the perspective of what it is like to be in the workforce. Being  apart of the academy is about giving back to the community. While Working long hours of service to the community I realize that there is a population of people that are not getting the care they need. Giving back to the community makes you more likely to have more opportunities for improvement and makes you selflessly better in in life.

Both the Academy and Lakeside have given me the opportunity to start working towards shaping my future at a young age. They have shown me that it does not matter what your background is, you will have to be the one to put in the effort to get where you want to be. Even though we end up with jobs that don’t feel like “a forever job”, they do lead us to where we are needed at the end of the day. They each teach us lessons making us who we are. With each job comes a lesson teaching you how to appreciate everyone’s roles around you. I am glad I decided to embrace the obstacles in front of me, I was able to turn them into a positive learning experience. A positive in working a job that isn’t for you is that it teaches you to shift, fire and adjust.

I am so grateful for my job as a CNA. I am dedicated to helping those in need of assistance. For instance, when I was a little girl my mom would have me go to my grandmother’s house, while my grandfather was working to pay for a caregiver.  I would help with things that they wouldn’t because of her size. Helping my grandmother with toileting a to the commode, showering, dressing, and personal hygiene tasks .

These are the moments that define who I am today. I now know it was not easy for my grandmother to let me do these tasks, but doing them with grace and compassion eventually created a safe place she could feel taken care of without judgement. I would not be able to provide the care that I do now if it weren’t for my time with her.

Each summer was getting worse but I remember the year her Dementia was bad but she gave me the most beautiful advice in life. “Amber, take any knowledge you can gain and take it in with pride. You will go far but don’t ever live for money, But instead find a job you love because the money will come after. Loving what you do in life is one of the most valuable things that you can do.” ~Deborah Hayden Robert.

My grandmother and grandfather were beauticians and barbers .Married for 20 years. They didn’t make a lot of money, but they had a lot of love for what they did. They got to help people  feel comfortable in their own skin.I went every summer until she passed away.

I did not think I would love a job this much, however I do! I get to help people and it is the most rewarding part . I have always had a caretaker role in life. Growing up I was accountable for my younger siblings while my mom worked long hours at Lakeside as a Caregiver. When I moved out I had worked simple jobs such as a dog walker, carpentry apprenticeship with my sister and her husband, and tribal work for forestry, before making the decision to go to (IDYCA) and while I was there, yes I was happy with these jobs but I was not passionate about them. I had realized something so important that I was only living to work and not working to live.

The day I started at  Lakeside as a worker I felt a feeling that had been missing for a long time. The feeling of getting to be a part of something that is so important. Working in this field has me wanting  to know what I can always improve. Motivation to keep learning and working with others to take in all advice I can get. I can’t tell you my whole story in a short essay, but I am ready to keep writing it and to keep going on the journey. To continue the story of my career path.