Let’s face it; the pandemic hasn’t exactly been an easy time to be a student. It hasn’t been an easy time to be anything, actually, but that’s life in the “new normal” of COVID-19.
Anyway, we wanted to take a moment in the midst of this pandemic to celebrate a few of our newest graduates and to share some information about what’s going on in their lives. Success by any of us at CHCC is a great reason for all of us to celebrate.
Natalia just graduated from Western Washington University through a special program at Woodring College of Education for people working full-time. It’s actually the second time Natalia has graduated from WWU; in 2015, she received a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation, shortly after landing a job at CHCC in the therapeutic recreation department.
Not only has Natalia been working at CHCC while going to school, she’s also been teaching, integrating her two workplaces through a program she devised to connect CHCC residents with fifth-grade pen pals.
For the coming year, Natalia has been hired as a second-grade teacher at Alderwood Elementary in Bellingham. That doesn’t mean her time at CHCC is up, however.
“I love it here,” Natalia says. “There’s just so much purpose here. Especially now, with the pandemic going on. Every day I can talk and laugh with residents, and it’s so impactful; it’s so much more powerful right now. They might not be able to see their families, but they have us. We are here for them.”
CHCC has always felt like home, Natalia says. Leaders have always been incredibly supportive of her aspirations at school and her busy schedule.
“I always feel like I am among my family here,” she says.
Ivie recently graduated from Lynden High School right here in town. She has worked as a dining room assistant at CHCC for almost two years, all while attending high school. Ivie wants to become a nurse someday, so she took the job here to gain experience in the building while she works toward her goal. It doesn’t hurt that her mom works here as well, of course.
Ivie’s next steps, she says, are to take the NAC classes here at CHCC and to attend at Whatcom Community College’s nursing program.
She enjoyed the challenge of working while going to school, and she says her boss at CHCC, Carol DuBois, was an enormous help.
“Carol always tried to make sure that school work was a priority,” Ivie says. “She was always super flexible, and she wanted to make sure that I was not overwhelmed.”
Congratulations, Ivie, and thank you for your hard work at CHCC!
Monica is actually a new face at CHCC; she recently began a position in the housekeeping/laundry department here. She graduated from Western Washington University in March with a bachelor’s degree in recreation management and leadership, with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation. What’s more, she is in the process of becoming certified as a recreational therapist. Congratulations, Monica, and welcome to CHCC!