Hard Work and Dedication Help One Student Reach His Dreams

As a young man, Johnathan Edwards overcame many life obstacles. At age two, he  lost his mother and two brothers in a house fire. Johnathan was staying with his grandmother at the time, who passed shortly after the tragedy. A guiding star in his life, his aunt raised him along with her four kids.

At Oakland High School, Johnathan excelled in the JROTC program. During his senior year, Johnathan became Lieutenant Colonel, the highest-ranked cadet in his high school at the time.

In 2008, Johnathan graduated from the Medical Assistant program at Carrington and was employed by Kaiser Permanente Hospital two weeks later. Today, Johnathan is still working at Kaiser and living his dream.

"I believe it is a blessing that I went to Carrington after high school because I was able to graduate in less than a year and get a job right after graduation," said Johnathan. "Now I make good money for my age and am able to live on my own, pay my bills and pay my student loans off."

After graduating high school, Johnathan enrolled in the Medical Assistant program at Carrington College California in San Leandro, CA. Nothing was going to stop Johnathan from getting an education, not even the one-hour bus ride to the college and back. In the 11 months that Johnathan attended Carrington College, he did not miss one day.

"The best thing about Carrington was the teachers; they took time to work with students one-on-one if we needed it. They would take their lunch hour or time before classes to help students with homework and other questions," said Johnathan. "They really go out of their way to help students succeed."