Emilie Konan arrived on campus at Blue Ridge Job Corps with her sister in tow and zero English between the two of them. She was nervous—about the language barrier, the new environment and her new course of study. But she was excited too, and with her sister by her side at Job Corps, she set out on a path toward something she had always dreamed of: a career in the medical field.
Having her sister with her made Emilie’s transition to Job Corps easier, despite the extra challenges they both faced. They only spoke French, having immigrated from the Ivory Coast in West Africa not long before starting the program. Emilie heard about Job Corps through a friend of her father’s and decided it was a great opportunity to get started on her goals.
“[Job Corps was] the opportunity to learn something—something that would allow me to be independent financially,” she said.
Emilie credits her instructors with going above and beyond to make sure she kept up with her course material while she was still learning the language. She remembers Ms. Lisa in particular for being so helpful and kind. Another student who was fluent in French and English was a huge help too, and spent a lot of time with Emilie and her sister studying after class.
Determined to set herself up for her career as well as possible, Emilie trained in both the Clinical Medical Assistant and Medical Administrative Assistant programs and earned credentials in CPR and phlebotomy. She learned English too, and after graduation, there was nothing to stop her from succeeding.
Since graduation in 2016, Emilie has worked as a medical assistant in many areas of the medical field, from family care to gastroenterology. But she found her calling at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic. Now she has plans to enroll in Montgomery College’s diagnostic medical sonography program with a focus in OB/GYN sonography.
“I’ve done all these different practices, which allowed me to find something that I like and that I want to pursue,” Emilie said. “… Without [Job Corps], I wouldn’t have the certificates that allowed me to work in the medical field and learn what I like in particular.”
Emilie discovered her passion thanks to the skills she learned at Job Corps.
Graduated from Job Corps in: February, 2016 Employer: Medical Assistant at Capital Digestive Care; Germantown, Maryland Hometown: Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire, West Africa Phone: 202-910-3896 Submitted by: Hannah Purdy Notes:
Source: Nuvi