![Jermaine Porter]( "Jermaine Porter")
WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass. (June 24, 2020) — After graduating from Keefe Technical High School, Jermaine Porter of Natick, MA, headed into the workforce and used the skills he gained to work as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at several local nursing homes and hospitals. “I loved working with elderly patients, but I was looking to do something different and expand my role within that age group. I came to MassBay Community College to challenge myself and pursue my college degree,” said Jermaine.
With a natural passion for helping others, Jermaine focused his career path to become a speech language pathologist to help elderly patients improve their communication skills after experiencing health issues such as strokes. “I had some minor speech challenges as a child and recognizing how much working with specialists in this field could impact someone’s life, speech pathology felt like a perfect career for me. I believe communication is a fundamental skill—it’s something I value a lot— so I’m excited to be able to work with patients to improve their quality of life through speech.”
“Returning to school was really a desire to not only achieve that degree, but build an academic foundation and further myself in my life and career. It was not always an easy road becoming a college graduate. I had to overcome personal challenges in my life to reach my goals, but with the support of my advisor, Sean Fortney, and others at MassBay, I can say I never gave up. I persevered over adversities, and I am now a college graduate.”
Jermaine participated in many volunteer activities while on campus to support the local community including packaging food for the Greater Boston Food Bank, sorting and packing clothes for Cradles to Crayons, and assembling emergency kits for MassBay students in need. He also earned a spot on the Dean’s List in fall 2019.
Jermaine, a first generation college student, earned his Associate in Arts degree in General Studies and he will be attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall where he will study Communication Sciences and Disorders.
To learn more about at MassBay visit www.massbay.edu
MassBay Community College is ranked by the Brookings Institution as one of the top schools for value added and earned salaries in the workforce. Ranked #1 for two-year colleges in Massachusetts, #2 in New England, and #16 nationally. The College’s facilities in Wellesley Hills, Framingham, and Ashland house day, evening and weekend classes that meet the needs of degree-seeking students and career minded lifelong learners. Online options provide convenience and allow faculty to facilitate the learning process. Since its founding in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by several governing bodies and strives to meet the needs of the diverse local communities it serves.