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In 2023, Mary Beth Jacovides felt lost. She had lost both her parents and her job of 27 years in the span of 3 years. “I didn’t know what to do,” says Mary Beth. Then, she remembered what her mom whispered to her before she died. “You should go be a nurse,” her mom had told her. “You are good at caring for people and you would enjoy it.”
“I met so many caring and inspiring people while caring for my parents. There were the ambulance drivers, CNAs, nurses, doctors, and so many others who make up the team of caregivers for patients,” Mary Beth explains. “I felt a genuine calling to become one of them. I want to make sure that when patients and residents are at their most vulnerable, a trusted caregiver is right by their side.”
Mary Beth started looking for classes to train to become Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). In February 2024, she started the CNA Training Program at the Cambridge Community Learning Center (CLC). "Between the class lectures at CLC and the labs at Labouré College of Healthcare, I gained comprehensive knowledge of everything a CNA would encounter,” says Mary Beth. “I also met people who shared the same passion about caregiving."
In June, Mary Beth graduated from the CNA Training Program for Fluent English Speakers. “CLC is the place that set me on the path I am on today,” she says. She will be taking her CNA exam in September and is actively applying for nursing assistant.
Every year the CLC helps hundreds of adult learners like Mary Beth to find a way forward. Check out our new website to find out more about what CLC does!
Photo: Mary Beth in her CNA clinical training class.
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