Delilah Fraser

Already an active liberal arts student at Massasoit, Delilah Fraser was serving as a Presidential Student Ambassador (PSA) during a STEM Welcome Night when another certificate program caught her eye. Delilah knew she wanted to continue her studies to pursue a future career in nursing, and she was interested in getting firsthand experience in healthcare as soon as she could. Delilah decided it was Massasoit’s Home Health Aide (HHA) Certification program that would give her the knowledge and skills to do so.

The HHA Certification is a 100-hour, non-credit program that teaches the special skills of caring for a medically-ill client and how to be an effective and competent member of a health care team. Delilah completed the program while taking other college courses, which at times was difficult, but she knew the certification would complement her studies, give her an edge when applying to bachelor’s degree programs, and allow her to immediately work in healthcare. Upon completion of the certificate, Delilah almost immediately got a job with Anodyne, a healthcare staffing agency that connects home care and healthcare professionals with those who need them most.

All of this would not have been possible for Delilah without the United Way of Greater Plymouth County’s Community Impact Scholarship. When researching the HHA Certification program, she was surprised to learn that she qualified for the scholarship – it was the deciding factor as Delilah is simultaneously working and paying for classes. Delilah is transferring to the University of Massachusetts Boston in the fall and is excited to explore more jobs in healthcare.

“The thing I really appreciated about that program was learning the medical knowledge of the types of materials and equipment we’d be using, like how to properly take care of someone with a catheter or an ostomy bag. I know that’s going to be helpful when I start nursing clinicals,” said Delilah.