Skip to main content

Cedrick M.

Living in America was a constant dream for Cedrick M. while he grew up in Central Africa. At age 29, he decided to try winning a spot in the Diversity Visa (DV) Program, which promoted diversity among the immigrants who came to the U.S.

He won!

Two years after arriving in America he decided to pursue a career in the healthcare field and now is a medical assistant after graduating from Concorde Career College’s campus in Aurora, Colorado.

Nurturing his dream

Cedrick was running a business selling soda in his community when he applied for the DV program, which is set up like a lottery. Once you’re entered in it, a computer program randomly chooses the recipients. He completed the paperwork for the lottery and, soon after, his dream was fulfilled.

America had been on Cedrick’s mind for years after so many people had commented that he is as tall as a “typical” American at 6-foot-4. “Everyone around the world dreams about living in America,” he said.

Cedrick arrived in Aurora, Colo., to live with his cousin. He found a job hauling trash that involved a lot of manual labor, which did not appeal to him. Cedrick wanted more.

“I had been on the job for two months and decided to go to Concorde to see how school works in America,” he said.

Beginning his new career

Once Cedrick was accepted into Concorde, he had a falling out with his cousin, who thought he should stay at home and keep his old job.

“I wanted to go to school to change my life,” he said.

Now on his own, Cedrick realized he needed more help.

Concorde put him in touch with the African Leadership Group (ALG), an Aurora-based organization that helps African immigrants integrate into American culture and advocates for their economic, social and educational impact.

With the support of the ALG, Cedrick continued his studies at Concorde. School was not easy, but Concorde was there to assist. “I stayed in school after class to study and the teachers helped me a lot,” he said.

Cedrick served an externship with the University of Colorado Hospital and was hired right after he finished. He sees patients every day, working on blood draws, vaccines, EKGs and taking vitals.

“Everything I learned at school I’m practicing here,” he said. “I’m happy to have this job.”

But life is still incomplete for Cedrick, who had to leave behind his fiancé, two children – ages 9 and 5 – and his mother in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He plans to travel back to Africa as soon as possible to get married, but the coronavirus pandemic has pushed back his plans until 2021. Once they

arrive in America, his wife plans to find a job and Cedrick might go back to school to build on his healthcare career.

Life in America isn’t always easy for Cedrick – it can be expensive and the time away from his family can be difficult. But it’s still better than his previous situation.

“It’s a better life. Back home I was selling soda, and it was hard for me to survive and to eat,” Cedrick said. “Yes, being in America is good for me.

title
Related Campus

Related Programs
  1. Program length may be subject to change dependent on transfer credits and course load. Please refer to current course catalog for more information. Concorde does not guarantee admittance, graduation, subsequent employment or salary amount.

  2. Professional certification is not a requirement for graduation, may not be a requirement for employment nor does it guarantee employment.

  3. Financial aid is available to those who qualify but may not be available for all programs. Concorde does not guarantee financial aid or scholarship awards or amounts.

  4. Clinical hour requirements and delivery may vary by campus location and may be subject to change. Concorde does not guarantee clinical site assignments based upon student preference or geographic convenience; nor do clinical experiences guarantee graduation, post-clinical employment or salary outcomes.

  5. Registration and certification requirements for taking and passing these examinations are not controlled by Concorde, but by outside agencies, and are subject to change by the agency without notice. Therefore, Concorde cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to take these exams, at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.