At the Academy of Learning Career College (AOLCC), many of our students see first-hand how the right education can help them pursue a career they’re passionate about. For student Rahama Berker Umar, this is especially true. “I am one of those people who believe education is the key to everything,” she says, “Education can change a lot in your life.”
Rahama knows just how valuable an investment in education from AOLCC can be. In fact, after successfully studying at AOLCC to become a health care aide (HCA), she returned to our college to take the educational assistant diploma. Read more about Rahama’s unique and inspiring journey.
Rahama Came to AOLCC to Pursue a Lifelong Dream of Working as a Nurse
Rahama has always known she wanted a career where she could help others. In her home country of Kenya, she dreamed of one day coming to Canada to study nursing. Finally, she got her opportunity. “I got a chance to come to Canada in 2005,” she says, “and arrived in Ontario around winter time and it was very challenging to adapt to the weather.”
In spite of the cold climate, Rahama took advantage of her new surroundings and enrolled at a college in Ontario. However, that first attempt at improving her career prospects was challenging. “I couldn’t continue the education because of finances,” she says, “and I had to stop and work to provide food for my children.”
Financial pressures put Rahama’s journey towards a better education on hold as she focused on raising her family. However, a chance encounter was about to transform her life. “After many years passed by I moved to Edmonton,” she says, “and one day I was walking in the West Edmonton Mall and saw AOLCC advertising for an open house.”
Rahama’s curiosity was piqued and she spoke to the receptionist. It turned out to be a life-changing decision that would propel her forward on her ongoing journey to career success. “The next day,” she says, “I wrote the exam and got accepted.” She went on to complete her HCA certificate and graduated from AOLCC in 2014.
When Rahama Decided to Shift Careers, She Looked to AOLCC’s Educational Assistant Diploma
Rahama’s HCA certificate from AOLCC became the foundation for a successful career in health care. She began working as an HCA and eventually went on to successfully pass the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) exam, which allowed her to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse.
However, Rahama’s journey didn’t end there. She ultimately decided to switch paths and pursue a career as an educational assistant because, as she recalls, “The nursing field schedule didn’t work with my life schedule.”
Since she had already had such a positive experience with AOLCC, she returned to the school to help her achieve her new goal. Now she is enrolled in the educational training program in Alberta. For Rahama, AOLCC’s educational assistant training seems a fitting choice given how it combines her love of education with her passion for helping others.
While Rahama’s journey has taken her beyond nursing, she plans on putting that previous experience to good use by combining it with the skills she is gaining in her educational assistant diploma. “When I complete my EA program,” she says, “I would like to work in a special needs school because of the nursing experience I have.” Alternatively, Rahama is also considering other options that her diploma will open up for her, such as running a home daycare.
Whichever path Rahama ultimately chooses to take on her journey, she’s clear about the role AOLCC will have played in getting her there. She says of both the HCA and EA programs that she would “highly recommend them for anybody who is qualified to study in Canada. Because both programs are awesome and can be life changing.”
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