KAISER PERMANENTE, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
I’ve come full circle in my life. I was born in the Kaiser facility where I now work. I began working at Kaiser Permanente as a housekeeping attendant in 2009 the same year my father went through open-heart surgery. I met an Education Fund counselor who encouraged me to start taking classes. I hadn’t been in school for 7 years so I was nervous, but I wanted to take a chance. My counselor suggested I take one class at first to build my study skills and confidence. I chose a Medical Terminology course because during my father’s surgery I couldn’t understand everything the doctors were saying. I did well in that class, so when I heard about the green certification course I signed up. We learned about sustainable practices and did research. As part of this program, we reduced waste and saved Kaiser an estimated $18,000. My life has really changed by participating in Education Fund programs. After completing my certification, I became a trainer. I never thought I had it in me to teach a group of EVS workers about green practices. Now people are asking my advice and really taking to heart what I teach them. It’s very gratifying. My next step is to get certified as bilingual. After that I am thinking about going back to school and pursuing a career a Radiologic Technologist.
I’ve come full circle in my life. I was born in the Kaiser facility where I now work. I began working at Kaiser Permanente as a housekeeping attendant in 2009 the same year my father went through open-heart surgery. I met an Education Fund counselor who encouraged me to start taking classes. I hadn’t been in school for 7 years so I was nervous, but I wanted to take a chance. My counselor suggested I take one class at first to build my study skills and confidence. I chose a Medical Terminology course because during my father’s surgery I couldn’t understand everything the doctors were saying. I did well in that class, so when I heard about the green certification course I signed up. We learned about sustainable practices and did research. As part of this program, we reduced waste and saved Kaiser an estimated $18,000. My life has really changed by participating in Education Fund programs. After completing my certification, I became a trainer. I never thought I had it in me to teach a group of EVS workers about green practices. Now people are asking my advice and really taking to heart what I teach them. It’s very gratifying. My next step is to get certified as bilingual. After that I am thinking about going back to school and pursuing a career a Radiologic Technologist.