United Way Scholarship Success Stories

Jennifer was a teacher in Haiti before coming to America. Once here, she wanted to continue teaching as it was her passion, but soon realized that other skills were needed. Jennifer was then inspired to register into the Medical Interpreting program while improving her English language skills. Another reason for choosing that career path was to help her community and other newcomers to this country have more access to the healthcare services they need.

When asked how completing this program impacted her life, Jennifer was excited to share her journey with us. She completed the program in December 2023 and saw a job for Bilingual Paraprofessional for Brockton Public Schools. She submitted a job application, had an interview, and started the new year of 2024 with a new and exciting job! She loves working at Brockton Public Schools. In fact, she is very excited to share that she has now been offered and accepted a teaching position there. Jennifer will begin teaching French in fall 2024. She stated that “adding Medical Interpreting to her resume has opened a lot of doors.”

When asked what she would say to students who are thinking about taking this program, Jennifer responded: “Go for it! I would not have been able to take this class without the funding. When I first asked about courses at Massasoit, I thought there was nothing that could be done because I only had a green card. But I didn’t give up. I spoke to the Community Education staff and explained my situation and told them that I didn’t have the money to pay for the class. Later that day, they sent me an email, letting me know I was eligible and approved for the United Way Scholarship.

The experience was very good. I am happy to let other immigrants know that there are scholarships like the United Way. These scholarships can help fund learning opportunities to better your life here in America. I am in a much better place financially and emotionally.”

Jennifer Alexis Ducheine

Student