As the youngest daughter of a first-generation immigrant family, Brittany Vega was determined to make her family proud and create a new path for herself. After she graduated from high school in 2014, college didn’t seem like an option for her, so she started working in retail. Having never attended college themselves, her parents did not have the guidance or financial support to help her navigate higher education.
Brittany’s best friend told her about Job Corps. “When she told me about the resources and opportunities at Job Corps, I thought it was too good to be true. I knew things like this existed, but never imagined it would be free,” Brittany said.
She arrived on campus skeptical, but made the decision that it would be better to go into the program optimistic and ready to work. After reviewing all of the training area options available to her, Brittany decided that health care would be where she started her Job Corps journey.
The course included an “externship” at the “Clinica del pueblo,” a clinic in the downtown area of San Francisco that treats an underserved part of the community. What Brittany thought was just a credit needed to finish her training ended up impacting her in ways she never imagined.
“The experience prompted me to pursue a career in the medical field, and I realized I have a very specific interest in working with underserved communities. I knew that, with the help of the Job Corps college program, I would be able to make my dream a reality.”
Brittany headed to college at California State University–San Bernardino, and thanks to Job Corps, all of her boarding and living expenses were covered, including her books thanks to being placed in the Job Corps book program. She was able to save $10,000 from combined financial aid, grant, and scholarship money. She used those funds to cover her living expenses as she completed her bachelor’s degree in health science. While working toward her degree, she began working as an EMT and pursuing phlebotomy to gain experience in the field.
Currently, Brittany works as an ER technician at a regional trauma center. Her years of studying and commitment to the field have paid off as she was recently accepted into PA school and will begin her journey to becoming a practitioner there in August 2021.
She has enjoyed her time working in emergency medicine and has learned a lot about orthopedic surgery because of it. “Orthopedic surgery really interests me,” Brittany said. “I can really see myself furthering my education after PA school and maybe even specializing in ortho one day.”
Brittany is grateful for the opportunities provided by Job Corps and glad she decided to overlook her skepticism: “As I look back at the road that I traveled to get here, I realize the many lives that supported me, and without those mentors and educators, I would not be where I am now.”