How One Sister Inspired a Lifetime of Care
Growing up in Huntington Park, Niki Calderon knew AltaMed as the place that cared for his family when they needed it most. Years later, he returned to the same clinic — not as a patient, but as a caregiver. Inspired by his older sister’s path into nursing, Niki started his career in medicine as a licensed vocational nurse. With support from the AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative and generous donors, he earned his registered nurse degree.
Registered nurse Niki Calderon represents the promise of the AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative — a pathway designed to grow talent from within and open doors for the next generation of caregivers.
Niki grew up in a small apartment in Huntington Park, sharing close quarters with his parents and two older sisters.
“My parents spent their entire lives working in a food plant, earning minimum wage, but they always did everything they could to provide for us,” says Niki. “Even though we didn’t have much, my parents always instilled in us the value of hard work and dedication so that one day we could build a better life for ourselves.”
Niki’s dream of becoming a nurse came from his older sister. “My sister was actually the first in my family to go into the medical field. She wanted to become a nurse because she genuinely cared about helping people and making a difference in their lives,” says Niki. “Seeing her take that path opened my eyes to what nursing could be. It motivated me to follow a similar path.”
Niki began his journey into the medical field at 18, enrolling in a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) program. “I tried to go the traditional route, but it was very hard and expensive to try to do a program that required three to four years in college to become an RN,” he says. “So, I had to go, you know, with what I could do. I went for a faster paced program.” While in school, he worked two jobs, one at a grocery store and one at a car wash.
The Beginning of His Professional Journey
With his LVN certification in hand, Niki took a job at a nursing home. But two years later, he applied somewhere that meant more to him: AltaMed, the clinic that had looked after him since he was a child.
He has been with AltaMed for almost five years now, working as a float LVN across 10+ clinics, serving patients of all ages and gaining a deep understanding of the communities he now serves as an RN.
When he learned about the AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative, he recognized it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He says, “It’s very competitive to get into nursing school in California. This program made that process more attainable.”
Beyond financial support, AltaMed provided the necessary flexibility and maintained his benefits even as he reduced his hours, giving Niki the stability and security to continue pursuing his educational goals. “AltaMed provided that extra push that I needed and the room for growth and the opportunity to go back to school.”
Without financial support from donors, he says, “I wouldn’t be an RN today.”
His associate’s degree was just the beginning. Niki earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Coast University in February 2026 and plans to pursue a master’s degree and become a nurse practitioner.
Providing Compassionate Care
For Niki, working in health care means being able to connect with patients and make them feel heard and supported. “I value being someone patients can trust during stressful times,” says Niki. “Even small things like taking the time to explain something clearly or just being present can make a big difference in their experience.”
During his time at the Huntington Park Medical Slauson clinic, Niki recounts an impactful experience while working as a provider partner alongside Francis Runas M.D., Niki says, “One interaction that has stayed with me involved a terminally ill patient I cared for. Months later, I ran into his daughter outside of work. She told me her father had passed and that we were the last team to care for him. She thanked us for the compassion we showed during that time.”
“That moment reminded me that even when outcomes aren’t what we hope for, the way we treat patients and their families matters deeply. It reinforced that providing comfort and dignity at the end of someone’s life is not something I take lightly — and it’s exactly why I chose nursing.”
The AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative
The AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative is part of a vision to bring medical education to historically underserved communities, building a future where we can uplift nurses like Edith with the support they need to pursue their education.
Learn more about the AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative.
All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Our Tax ID number is: 95-4090420.
© 2020 AltaMed Foundation – All Rights Reserved