Jana Lavulo: Stepping Up and Into a Career
Have you ever wanted a job but felt stuck because you just didn’t have the right education or training? That was a big concern for Jana Lavulo, but when her husband fell ill, was hospitalized, and put on life support, she needed to find a way to care for their 4 kids while he struggled to recover.
“I was sitting by his bedside, and the thought came to me—I need to go back to school,” says Jana. “But how could I do that when I didn’t even have a high school diploma?”
Jana had tried getting her GED in the past, but she has a learning disability that makes traditional learning a challenge. She’d just about given up on the idea, but while she was sitting by her husband’s bedside one day, scrolling through Facebook, she came across an ad for Charter College, noting its partnership with C4L Academy. C4L is a program that allows students training for a career through a certificate program to pursue their high school diploma at the same time. At first, Jana thought it was too good to be true, but after a phone call with a representative, she decided to give it a shot. She decided she would train in Charter’s Medical Assistant program and do her best to earn the diploma that had eluded her for years.
A Supportive Learning Environment at Charter College
Despite her previous struggles with school, Jana says Charter College was different. And the C4L program accepted high school credits she had earned before, so she wasn’t as far behind as she thought she was.
“I was really nervous at first and was afraid my learning disability would hold me back,” she explains. “But my instructors were amazing—they didn’t just accommodate me; they took extra time to work with me.”
During her medical assistant program, Jana says she felt like she got the support she needed without ever feeling singled out for her learning issues because she knew that her instructors would do the same for anyone in the class. Jana learned the medical and technical skills she would need to perform the job of a Medical Assistant, and also how to treat patients professionally and with compassion. The Charter College instructors taught her about administrative procedures and patient care concepts and made sure she understood all of it. Even when Jana needed additional review on certain modules, her instructor would stay after class to help her out until the concepts became clear.
Real-World Experience as a Medical Assistant
After completing her coursework, Jana was able to land an externship at Intermountain Health in Utah, where she put everything she learned in class into practice in a real-world clinical setting. Charter College’s Salt Lake City staff worked with her to ensure she was placed somewhere that felt like the right fit, and Jana was such a great asset to Intermountain Health that they offered her a job during her second week of externship.
“They were fully staffed, but they didn’t want to let me go, so they created a position for me until their new physician starts so I can be an MA for them,” Jana says.
Right now, Jana loves her role, but this journey has boosted her confidence and inspired her to continue her education. She says she might look into radiologic technology, but for now, she’s happy with her job, her family, and her life. All that she thought she couldn’t do, she did—with the help of Charter College and its passionate, supportive instructors.
Have you ever thought you couldn’t find a successful career because you didn’t have a high school diploma? Maybe you could train for a career and get that elusive diploma. Give us a call today at 888-200-9942 and we’ll help you discover what’s possible.