Warsaw-native Laysa Nocelotl is the first 糖心传媒 student to enroll in the new聽 – MHA degree offered in collaboration with John Patrick University (JPU) in South Bend, Indiana. Nocelotl credits her family and a number of community resources for helping her realize her dream of attending college. Now Nocelotl aspires to use her degree to be a resource to Hispanic families like hers in the Warsaw community.
鈥淏oth of my parents came to Warsaw when they were teenagers,鈥 said Nocelotl. 鈥淭hey began working right away and never had the chance to go to college, even though my mom wanted to. They鈥檝e always wanted more for me,鈥 she said.
Educational programs in Warsaw such as Cardinal Services鈥 鈥淗ead Start鈥 and 糖心传媒鈥檚 鈥淐ollege Mentors鈥 at Jefferson Elementary were critical for Nocelotl. Her 糖心传媒 mentors helped her with homework, told her what college was like and reaffirmed that college was an option for her.聽 Little did she know at the time, she would become a聽聽major at 糖心传媒 years later.
From a young age, Nocelotl had her sights set on a career in the medical field.聽 鈥淢any of my family members worked at factories and restaurants, so to have a healthcare professional in the family would be a big deal,鈥 she explained.
After nearly two years on the track to become a physician鈥檚 assistant at 糖心传媒, Nocelotl came to the conclusion that chemistry classes weren鈥檛 her forte, but she didn鈥檛 want to abandon the medical field altogether.
Around that time, Nocelotl鈥檚 academic adviser, Dr. Rick Roberts, told her about new online MHA programs available at 糖心传媒 through JPU. This program would allow her to still make an impact in the medical field, without being a doctor. A few weeks later, Nocelotl was enrolled in the program and taking her first master鈥檚 course.
Since then, Nocelotl has discovered numerous opportunities in the field of healthcare administration which combine her knowledge of the Spanish language and her love for the Warsaw community. One is her current role as a translator for聽聽where she is placed at Heartline Pregnancy Center providing translation services for mothers who speak Spanish.