Emmanuel Vargas Francisco, New Jewish Home High School CNA

Emmanuel Vargas Francisco was born in the Dominican Republic. He came to the U.S. when he was 12 years old, where he grew up in the Bronx in a family of people working in medicine. “My love for becoming part of the medical field developed a long time ago...I enjoy helping others.” He signed up for the earn-to-learn CNA training program at the urging of Ms. Jane Gonzales, his school’s Anatomy and Physiology teacher, and head of Gateway to Higher Education. He participated in an innovative SkillSpring program of The New Jewish Home, which provides high school students with valuable experience working in healthcare and as many as five allied healthcare certifications (e.g., Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Patient Care Technician), allowing them to immediately seek employment and have supplementary income while attending college. The program helped Emmanual and his classmates discover what it would be like to work as part of a medical team. It also led him to decide to pursue a career as either a registered nurse or a physician. During his time at NJH, he gained the skills to take care of the residents, and also of his elderly family members in the home. “I feel like I’m on top of the world because I’m able to make myself, and my mother, very happy and very proud.” He is preparing to begin school at Utica College in Fall 2024 to continue his learning journey.