Skip to Content
Springfield Technical Community College
Search
Menu
  • Opener Explore Programs & Classes
    • Credit
    • Degrees & Certificates
    • Register for Classes
    • Class Schedules
    • Course Descriptions
    • Flex Terms
    • Honors Program
    • Online Learning
    • Challenge Exams
    • Transfer Options
    • Non-Credit
    • Springfield Adult Learning Center (SALC)
    • HiSET/GED Exams
    • Testing & Placement
    • Workforce Development Center
    • More Programs
    • STEM Starter Academy
    • Early College
    • College Now Dual Enrollment
    • Gateway to College
    • Summer Youth Programs
  • Opener Apply To STCC
    • Admissions Policies
    • Information Sessions
  • Opener Pay for College
    • Financial Aid
    • College Costs
    • Scholarships & Awards
    • Free College
    • Financial Wellness
  • Opener Student Resources

    Student Support Quick Links


    • Academic
    • Tutoring
    • Registrar's Office
    • Request a Transcript
    • Academic Advising
    • Transfer Services
    • Library
    • Inter-college Access
    • Tech Support
    • Support
    • Career Services
    • Child Care
    • Disability Services
    • Domestic Violence Resources
    • Leadership/Mentoring
    • Student Affairs
    • Student Policies
    • TRIO Services
    • Veterans/Service Members
    • Wellness
    • Center for Access Services
    • COVID-19 Information
    • Health Compliance
    • Health & Wellness Center
    • Medical Re-entry Process
    • Mental Health Support and Resources
  • Opener Campus Life
    • Arts and Culture
    • Athletics
    • Bookstore
    • Campus Safety
    • Inclusion & Belonging
    • Fitness Center
    • Food Services
    • Housing
    • Parking and Transportation
    • Student Activities & Clubs
    • WTCC 90.7 FM
  • Opener About STCC
    • Accreditation
    • Board of Trustees
    • Shared Governance
    • Campus Map & Directions
    • Community Engagement
    • Contact Information/ Directories
    • Employment
    • Hispanic Serving Institution
    • History of the College
    • Institutional Research
    • Marketing & Communications
    • President's Message
    • Publications
    • Public Records
    • Purchasing/Bids
    • Strategic Planning
    • Student Consumer Information
  • eTools
    • STCCNet Portal
    • Email
    • Blackboard
    • ARIES

    • STCC Account/Getting Started
    • Reset Password
    • Tech Tutorials
  • Library
  • Visit
    • Visit STCC
    • Virtual Tour
    • Campus Map and Directions
    • Smoke-Free Campus
  • News
    • STCC News
    • Media Coverage
    • Campus Blog
    • STCC Around
    • Student News
  • Calendar
    • Academic Calendar
    • Final Exam Schedule
    • Events Calendar
    • Commencement
  • Alumni
  • Give
    • Donate Now
    • STCC Foundation
    • Ram Warrior Society
    • Past Campaigns
  • Translate
  • Home
  • /
  • About STCC
  • /
  • News
In this Section
About STCC
  • Accreditation
  • Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity, & Diversity
    • Policy
    • Complaints
    • Resources
  • Board of Trustees
    • Bylaws
    • Board of Trustees Meetings
    • Minutes of Board of Trustees Meetings
    • Alumni Trustee Position
  • Cabinet
  • Campus Map and Directions
  • Community Engagement
    • Community Dental Care
    • Facility Rentals
      • Event Request Form
    • Farmers' Market
    • STCC Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
    • We the Women
    • WTCC Radio
  • Contact STCC
  • Employee Directory
  • Faculty Directory
    • Endowed Chairs
  • Office Directory
  • Employment at STCC
    • STCC Cares: Employee Well-being Strategy
    • Employee Benefits
    • Internal Postings Job Availability Notice
    • Employee Excellence Awards
    • Retiree Community
    • Professional Development
    • Center for Online & Digital Learning
  • Hispanic Serving Institution
    • HSI Stories
  • History of the College
    • Our Presidents
    • Our Founders
    • Shays' Rebellion Website
  • Institutional Research
    • Data Request Form
  • Institutional Review Board
  • Marketing and Communications
    • Publications
      • College Catalogs
      • Course Brochures
      • Dean's List
      • STCC Student Success Plan
  • News
    • Hometown News
    • Media Coverage
    • STCC Around
    • Student News
      • Merit
        • STCC Merit Page
        • Share Your Story
  • President's Message
  • Public Records
    • Guidelines for Seeking Public Records
  • Purchasing
    • Accounts Payable
    • Facility Contractor Bids
  • Rankings
  • Shared Governance
  • STCC Assistance Corporation
  • Strategic Planning
    • Strategic Planning Task Force
  • Student Consumer Information
  • 29 Who Shine

Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership connects with STCC to guide students dreaming of a career in health care

July 14, 2017

Students in CNA training courseThese five recent high school graduates from Springfield are enrolled in a CNA certificate program at STCC as part of their goal to pursue a career in health care. They are, from left, Rumbila Abdullahi, Julia Hong, Anderson Nguyen, Suraji Omoru and Genesis Medina.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – They just graduated from high school and will start college this fall, but these five teenagers are not kicking back and taking it easy this summer.

They are enrolled in an eight-week nurse’s aide certification program at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) that is tied to an internship program through Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership (BSEP).

Thanks to the STCC-BSEP partnership, Springfield residents Rumbila Abdullahi, Julia Hong and Genesis Medina, Anderson Nguyen and Suraji Omoru are gaining the kind of experience they say will make them stand out as they work toward careers in health care.

BSEP connects students from Springfield public schools to programs such as the Certified Nurse Aide and CPR Certificate Program, a workforce training course at STCC. BSEP pays for the STCC course, which includes class and lab work as well as hands-on clinical work at health care facilities. The BSEP program also offers students other hospital-based learning experiences, including a paid internship that builds off of their work in the CNA course.

“They’re providing the opportunities I need to make connections and build a pathway into getting into the cardiothoracic surgery field,” said Nguyen, 18, a graduate of the Springfield High School of Science and Technology who starts at Worcester State University this fall.

This whole program is a hidden gem in our community. So many people are going to be served by their commitment to providing care. Alyson Orgera-McNamara, CNA course instructor

The five students, who come from diverse backgrounds, recently reflected on BSEP and the CNA course at STCC, which is taught by Alyson Orgera-McNamara.

“I think it’s excellent,” said student Suraji Omoru, 18, whose father comes from Ghana, West Africa, and whose mother is Jamaican. “It definitely taught me skills to care for people.”

Like the other students in the BSEP program, Omoru described their STCC instructor as inspiring.

“She doesn’t just teach us about how to be a CNA. She teaches us about how to care for a resident. She shows us that they’re a person in your daily life – they’re a friend, a family member,” said Omoru, a Springfield High School of Science and Technology graduate who plans to double major in health science and psychology this fall at Springfield College.

Born in Kenya, Rumbila Abdullahi, 19, dreams of becoming a pediatrician and will attend Smith College this fall.

“I love it,” the Springfield Central High School graduate said of the CNA course. “Our teacher shares her experiences. She’s been a nurse for over 35 years.”

Other BSEP students include Hong, 18, who graduated from Springfield Central High School, and Medina, 18, who graduated from Springfield High School of Science and Technology.

The instructor, Orgera-McNamara, said the CNA course typically attracts students who seek entry-level positions in nursing homes or assisted living facilities as certified nurse aides or home health aides. Many of her students enroll because they have a loved one who is ill and they discover how difficult it is to care for them.

Alyson Orgera-McNamara teaches the CNA certificate program at STCC.

“They’ve just been through that with their loved one, and they’re now wanting to help others,” she said.

She said it’s rare to have five students enrolled who aspire to become doctors or surgeons.

“The maturity level that these five have is incredible for their age,” Orgera-McNamara said. “They’re just so focused and wanting to go for it. That is so impressive to me. They’re very intelligent.”

Peter Blain, BSEP manager, said his organization has sent students to STCC for the past three or four years. The timing works well, he said, because students can start the CNA program in June after they graduate from high school. After they receive certification, they will work as CNAs as part of a 200-hour internship, Blain said.

“We have a number of students who work while going through college,” Blain said.

Blain said he is impressed with the five students enrolled in the STCC course.

“It’s a good group. They are all very motivated and interested,” he said. “Our philosophy is we provide the opportunity and they make something of it. We emphasize for the student that if they’re passive, they won’t get much out of the program.”

The CNA course at STCC provides an invaluable opportunity for students dreaming of a health care career to work around patients, Blain said.

“Any understanding of clinical or patient care is going to be a huge plus,” he said.

Orgera-McNamara praised the Baystate program for helping to steer young people toward a health career – and opening their eyes to some of the tough jobs in the industry.

The STCC CNA course trains health care workers to take on difficult activities such as bathing and feeding residents of a facility.

“This whole program is a hidden gem in our community,” she said. “So many people are going to be served by their commitment to providing care. A good aide is worth their weight in platinum.

“A good aide can make or break your entire facility,” Orgera-McNamara added. “They’re the front line. They’re constantly interacting with the family. They’re constantly interacting with the resident. It’s important that their behavior and their skill level is excellent. That’s what I ask for – excellence. I see their potential and I push them.”

STCC will offer an evening version of the CNA course starting Aug 7. A day program will begin Oct. 10. For more information on these and other courses and to enroll online: visit www.stcc.edu/wt/, call (413) 755-4225 or email workforcetraining@stcc.edu. 

To learn more about BSEP, contact BSEP Manager Peter Blain at (413) 794-1671 or by email: peter.blain@baystatehealth.org. Visit https://www.baystatehealth.org/about-us/community-programs/education-training/bsep for more information.

About Springfield Technical Community College

Founded in 1967 and located on 35 acres of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, STCC is a major resource for the economic vitality of Western Massachusetts. As the only technical community college in Massachusetts, STCC, an Achieving the Dream Leader College, offers a variety of career programs unequalled in the state. STCC’s highly regarded transfer programs in business, engineering, liberal arts, science and technology continue to provide the most economical options for students pursuing a four-year degree. With an annual enrollment of more than 8,500 day, evening, weekend and online students, STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity.

For more information about STCC, visit www.stcc.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@S_T_C_C).

Media Contact:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

  • See All News

Website Disclaimer

Springfield Technical Community College provides the information herein as a public service, with the understanding that Springfield Technical Community College strives to achieve the highest standards in content accuracy on its Website. Springfield Technical Community College makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this Website. Errors or omissions should be reported to the web developer: webmaster@stcc.edu. Visitors to our Web pages might see links to Internet resources outside of the Springfield Technical Community College Website: all are provided solely for the convenience of our Website visitors. By providing such links, Springfield Technical Community College should not be considered as endorsing any or all outside sites linked from our main site. When a visitor links to another site that is not an official Springfield Technical Community College Website, the user is no longer on a Springfield Technical Community College Website and thus, Springfield Technical Community College disclaims any responsibility or liability for the services or information offered at such non-college sites. At all times, Springfield Technical Community College makes every effort to accurately present programs and policies to the public. Those responsible for preparation of the catalog, the class schedule, and all other public announcements make every effort to ensure that the information presented is current and correct. However, Springfield Technical Community College reserves the right to modify or eliminate courses or programs and to add, amend, or repeal any and all rules, regulations, policies, and procedures at any time. Springfield Technical Community College assumes no responsibility for publication errors beyond its control. All users of the College's Website shall have no expectation of privacy over such use.

Springfield Technical Community College
One Armory Square,
Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 781-7822
.
  • Contact
  • Employment
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • Campus Map & Directions
  • Affirmative Action & Title IX
  • Student Consumer Information
  • Accessibility
Comwealth Commitment Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram