LEWISTON — For many new immigrants to the United States, there are several barriers to overcome before they can move into the workforce. Lewiston Adult Education has carved out a new pathway that teaches them English and gives them health care certifications, allowing them a smoother transition into employment.

The Healthcare Apprenticeship Pathway program gives immigrants a way to employment while addressing the need for health care workers at local facilities, such as nursing homes. Those who graduate from the program are hired by a local facility, where they will continue to attain other certifications and possibly move on to higher education, according to Lewiston Adult Education Assistant Director Razell Ward.

During a roughly six-month program participants learn critical English language skills related to the medical field, along with earning several certifications, including personal support specialist, and at the end earning certified nursing assistant credentials.

Bearing both physical and emotional scars, Gisele Linyonga came to the U.S. from her home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an asylum seeker because of unrest in her country. She was a nurse. Though she loves her home, she could not see raising her children in such upheaval, she said. Lewiston seemed like a peaceful place to her.

She said she likes being in a quiet community that is supportive. After the Oct. 25 mass shooting, she was reassured by the way the community rallied to support those affected and by the law enforcement effort to make the community safe again, which is not the type of peaceful response she experienced in the her home country.

When she arrived in Lewiston she did not know how she was going to learn a new language or how she was going to start deriving an income, she said. She credits Lewiston Adult Education with changing her life by providing her with the opportunity to work.

Now, she is starting over earning her nursing degree again. The apprenticeship program has already helped guide her in the right direction to return to nursing, she said. Helping people is her dream and she is happy to have her foot back in the door of health care as a certified nursing assistant.

“Now I’m working on geriatric, helping people live their life now that they can’t take care of themselves, that is my dream, helping in different ways,” she said. “… You can’t compare the money to the job we do.”

When Lewiston Adult Education first applied for federal funding for the program, staff looked at local industries that needed workers, along with local populations that needed job training, Ward said. It led to the program being created for English learners since there is such a large immigrant population in the city.

When considering who to accept into the program, staff first considers who had a health care background before they came to the U.S. or those who have a passion for it, she said. Four people have already completed the entire program and received a CNA certification. Thirteen people have completed the personal support specialist training and are working for local organizations.

Vivaldo Fernando was a doctor in his home country of Angola. He helped teach people how to keep themselves healthy and how to screen themselves for symptoms of certain illnesses, he said.

He arrived as an asylum seeker in Florida where he had a cousin but did not like it there, he said. Trying to find a city without a lot of distractions, Lewiston proved to be a place where he could start improving his situation. It is also a place he now calls home and where he has started a family.

Initially speaking very little English, he eventually enrolled in Lewiston Adult Education and started accessing the type of trainings he was looking for, he said. He has moved through the apprenticeship program and now works as a CNA.

He is not frustrated about starting his education path over, rather he views it as a new learning experience, firmly believing that success is a journey not a result, he said. As a CNA or personal support specialist he can see a different side of health care, which will help better inform him. He hopes to earn his physician assistant license.

When many immigrants come to the U.S. they have a lot of energy and hope that can be lost if it is not channeled correctly, Fernando said. Programs such as the one run by Lewiston Adult Education can help direct that energy, helping people achieve their goals.

“If you don’t have the right direction right now, you can lose your future,” he said. “These people come here because they want to reach a goal, not today, but today is one step to move forward.”

Behind every student is a dream and a big family that helped get them here. The teachers in the program are making a difference in the lives of immigrants, for which he is grateful, he said. Teachers in the program become like family for some immigrants, providing a lot of flexibility for family and work situations.

It is “awe-inspiring” to see the immigrants in the city’s apprenticeship program be so committed to making life better for themselves and their children after leaving their careers and families behind while fleeing their countries, Ward said.

“They come in every morning, ready to learn a new language, ready to learn new work skills and show a passion for health care as well as a commitment to continue to learn and grow,” she said. “I am so proud of these students and I have learned so much from them.

If Linyonga would tell other immigrants anything, it is to do something when they get to the U.S. as soon as possible because time is the “enemy,” and it will not wait, she said. She would tell them to reflect upon why they are in the U.S. and their goals because if they do not find themselves in the right place with the right people then they will be lost.

“You come with nothing, they open the door,” she said. “They educate you; they show you how you can get your life back, started again. It’s like a new life, a new opportunity and it’s like they want the best for you,” she said.

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