Harrisonburg News
Campus News & Events
Multicultural Enrichment
February is a month when we pay respect as a nation to the contributions of African-Americans in our nation’s history, as we certainly should. In a similar spirit of inclusion we would like to recognize the fact that little, but growing, Harrisonburg, Virginia has become a very multicultural area in recent years. The Harrisonburg Campus would like to profile a handful of students from different areas of the world who have enriched our campus and our community. The first such profile is Lizbeth Calixto.
Liz was born in Mexico and moved with her family to the US when she was 6 years old. They settled in the Harrisonburg area; all Liz’s public schooling was in right here. Living in the US was very hard at first because she did not speak English, and as a result she had to repeat first grade. She just did not understand enough of it. But it got easier, and she graduated from Harrisonburg High School in 2005. Because she had a young child, she did not think she had either the time or the money to complete more education. But after a few years of unfulfilling jobs, a friend recommended National College as a good place to get career training. That very same week, Liz (maybe not coincidentally) received a mailing from National and she decided it was time to investigate. She liked what she discovered in meeting with her Admissions and Financial Planning Representatives -- that there was a way she could afford it and a way she could fit it in her schedule. Liz started taking classes in the medical assisting program in December 2006.
With two young children and a part-time job, being a full-time student is challenging, as our students well know! But the scheduling and personal attention offered to Liz at National is enabling her to grow in professional skills and in confidence. She hopes to fulfill her dream of working as a medical assistant for a local physician. Her bilingual skills will certainly be an asset, as she moves into her chosen career.
