On Thursday, March 7, Middlesex Community College held a graduation ceremony for its ninth cohort of Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for Success students at the International Institute of New England in Lowell (IINE). The graduation was an opportunity to honor their hard work and accomplishments.

“The program gave me a good start and opportunity to improve myself,” said Efdjeen Adma, a CNA for Success student from Haiti. “It was an incredible experience. I was emotionally touched by practicing with clients and would like to continue helping people. The teacher was helpful and had a lot of patience with us and I really appreciated that.”

Through funding by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Mass Skills Training Education Programs, CNA for Success offers two cohorts for English Language Learners pursuing a career in healthcare with a 200-hour course each year. With 100 hours of classwork, students build their English and job readiness skills for employment.

“It was an incredible experience. I was emotionally touched by practicing with clients and would like to continue helping people. The teacher was helpful and had a lot of patience with us and I really appreciated that.”- Efdjeen Adma, MCC Student 

The additional 100 hours provides students with MCC clinical training through a Certified Nursing Aide module. The classes are held online and in-person, preparing students to sit for the CNA licensing exam.

“The graduations are really amazing to attend,” said Caitlin Campopiano, MCC’s Director of Workforce Programs and Professional Education. “You see what these individuals had to overcome just coming to America and the obstacles they face being here. This past cohort was especially wonderful to see that many of them have already applied for positions at the clinical site they did their training in.”

In 2019, MCC, IINE, Abisi Adult Education and D’Youville Life Care Center established a partnership to provide learning opportunities for people coming to the United States from a different country. MCC and IINE now run the program.

“Many of the students who have come through our program came to the United States looking for a better life and opportunity,” Campopiano said. “A number of them have healthcare backgrounds from their home country. By offering this training, we are giving individuals who can help our own healthcare system here in the United States the opportunity to do so with the addition of the ESOL training.”

Debra Shaw, an MCC instructor who has been teaching the course for six years, believes that the students positively impact the community. She enjoys connecting with and learning from a diverse set of students about their cultures and credited this year’s cohort for their dedication to the program. Their consistency and work ethic made her feel good about its impact.

“This cohort had very good attendance overall and completed their health record requirements in a timely fashion which shows commitment,” Shaw said. “They have been well received wherever I have taken them and I have no doubt this will continue when they join the workforce. There is opportunity for them to advance in the healthcare field if they should desire and we are available to help with future career planning.”