From earning her GED to thriving in a healthcare career, Michala Fennell’s journey shows what’s possible with support and determination.
Michala Fennell is in love with her job, and her experience at UCC helped pave the way. She is working as the Vaccine & Employee Health Coordinator for Aviva Health and is also a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant. “I’m just so grateful that I get to come here every day, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the help of UCC’s staff.”
Michala didn’t have it easy growing up. “I was homeless, kind of going around from couch to couch, and I had to go to work to support myself. I ended up having to drop out of high school.”
She always wanted to go back to school, but with life challenges and responsibilities, it didn’t happen right away. “When I hit 25, I realized that I needed more for me and my kids, so I decided to go back and finish my GED through UCC.”
From the minute she entered the Woolly Center office, Michala felt the support. “The staff set me up with everything that I needed, made sure that I had all of my books, made their offices available for me to take my tests or just do my homework – the people there were just so helpful.”
Michala enjoyed the virtual learning element of the program. “I liked that I was able to get the coursework done. During COVID, I was homeschooling my kids, which allowed me to do my classes while helping them with theirs. I could put my earbuds in and listen to lectures while cooking dinner or cleaning the house. I constantly have to be doing something – if I am sitting still, I am not going to be paying attention. So that format was much better for me.”
UCC’s online coursework helped Michala prepare for her Certified Clinical Medical Assistant certificate, because the online models were similar. “I’m not very tech savvy, so having the online experience helped me. I wasn’t intimidated because the format was familiar.”
Her position at Aviva Health has given her more security, but continues to spur her inquisitive mind. “I’m a single mom having to raise three kids, so I had to find something with more stability. When I saw the job opening, I just decided to go for it. This position is such a good fit for me. I am constantly educating myself on something new, and the work is mentally stimulating. I like that my daily routine is never the same.”
When asked if she would ever consider returning to school, she said that it would happen when her kids are older. “I can see myself taking more coursework to help my position here, probably in Business or Medical Administration. I wouldn’t be where I am today without UCC. They took away any barriers I had and helped further my education.”
