When she was just five years old, Crystal Rumbolt knew she wanted to be a nurse.
“I spent a lot of time in the hospital when I was a kid, I was really clumsy,” she said, laughing. “I guess being there overnight and seeing how much nurses help other people, I knew that was definitely something I wanted to do.”
Crystal spent her childhood living between St. Anthony and the NunatuKavut community of St. Lewis, where her grandparents reside. She attributes her traditional lifestyle to the time spent with them.
“Pop, Gerald, he was very much for taking me out with him everywhere he went. Every year when I was done school in St. Anthony I would spend my summer months with Nan and Pop. We’d go fishing and set the nets. Pop taught me how to clean and fillet fish, how to clean and pluck birds. And Nan has taught me how to cook what we caught. So I’ve gotten both aspects of it, which I really enjoy.”
Crystal applied for the Licenced Practical Nursing (LPN) program at the College of the North Atlantic Campus in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and was accepted. She then received funding through NunatuKavut Community Council’s (NCC) Employment and Skills Development Program, which she says made her life a lot easier. Crystal graduated from the program in 2018.
“Without the NunatuKavut Community Council, I definitely would not have been able to do it. Funding meant that I did not have to go to work, I didn’t have to take out a student loan. It really did help a lot. The living allowance paid for my rent here in Goose Bay, my food,” said Crystal, advising other NunatuKavut youth to take the chance and apply for funding once they’ve graduated high school as well.
Crystal now works as an LPN at the long-term care facility in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. She received her job offer the day she graduated from the LPN program.
“I love my job, I love working with the elderly, you never know what they’re going to say or do! They’re witty,” said Crystal. “I treat patients like they’re my own grandparents, like nan and pop. I’m glad I’m here because I’m close to home.”
