Krissy Hiller

Krissy Hiller is a 39-year-old part-time student at Ivy Tech Community College. She is studying to become a Healthcare Specialist and will be graduating in a few years. After community college, she hopes to go to a university to pursue a four-year degree in nursing.

Krissy grew up with two older brothers north of Topeka, Kansas, in the countryside. Her dad worked full-time as a groundskeeper at a cemetery while her mom stayed at home. Krissy had a wonderful childhood but also faced some difficulties. Her mom was severely mentally ill and was unmedicated. “It was hard watching her get sicker and sicker,” Krissy said. Despite the difficulty of watching her mom’s mental illness progress, it was watching over her mom that inspired her to get into the medical field. Krissy is a natural caretaker. Her fiancé, who she has been with for six years, has cerebral palsy and scoliosis. It is a full-time job for Krissy to take care of him. But her caretaking comes from a place of love. This is the type of work that she dreams about doing, she hopes to make a career out of caring for seniors and people with disabilities.

Besides going to school and caring for her boyfriend, Krissy also works as a home health aide. With all the various responsibilities she has, it can be hard to keep up with other important things like finances. When she was referred to the Persistence Pays Off (PPO) program, she was so grateful. Her case manager helped her to stabilize her finances and got her on track to pass all her classes. “I have been saving more than I thought I could,” Krissy said. She was able to sign up for a credit card which helped her and Brian when their handicap van required some emergency maintenance. She was especially grateful that she was able to get limited financial assistance to pay for a class where she earned her Dementia Care Certificate. The PPO program ultimately helped her help other people.

Krissy is excited for what lies ahead. She wants to be the absolute best at her job in the medical field and continue to help people. “I was raised to be kind to others,” Krissy explained. We are so excited to see Krissy spread that kindness in the world.