Student Profile: Jean-Marc Thelussain

Not everyone can pinpoint when they realized what they wanted in a career. Not so for Jean-Marc Thelussaint. In early 2018 he found himself in the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton. As he sat patiently in the waiting room, he found himself mesmerized by the work of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). It was fast-paced, critical, and exciting.

Jean-Marc spoke with hospital staff and later an acquaintance who worked at Brewster Ambulance Service about a career as an EMT. He was encouraged to take the EMT certificate program at Massasoit Community College.

As a 2016 graduate from Brockton High School, Jean-Marc did not have much in the way of savings, so he worked hard to set aside money for the EMT certificate program. He was greatly relieved to learn that he qualified for the Community Impact Scholarship offered by Massasoit and is funded by the United Way of Greater Plymouth County.

This financial support opened the doors to a great opportunity for Jean-Marc and offered him peace of mind to focus on his studies and not worry about how to pay for the program. He graduated from the EMT program and passed the EMT state exam in December of 2018. Since then, Jean-Marc accepted a job as an EMT with Brewster Ambulance and is continuing his studies at Massasoit in the Paramedic Certificate Program. Jean-Marc also works for Good Samaritan Hospital as a patient transport.

With Brewster, Jean-Marc is gaining the experience he needs from the field and has responded to a multitude of different emergencies in his time as an EMT. The 13-hour shifts can be exhausting, but Jean-Marc appreciates being able to learn from them and apply those experiences to his paramedic coursework.

While he didn’t know it at the time, that unexpected trip to the emergency room changed the course of Jean-Marc’s life. It set him on a path to a new career – a career that he now speaks of with great enthusiasm.