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When Jill Gordon graduates from Mount Wachusett Community College on Wednesday, she will do so alongside her daughter and after being out of school for nearly 40 years.
“I doubted myself in the beginning because of my background and my age but (other students) just kept Rah Rahing me and I ended up with A’s and B’s,” said Gordon whose highest schooling previous to her upcoming Associate’s degree was a GED.
Her time at MWCC has allowed her to change careers from cleaning houses where she was inspired to go into the medical field after finding fulfillment during interacting with clients with alzheimer’s and cancer. Gordon now works as a Medical Assistant at a family practice in Leominster that is part of the Reliant Medical Group. It is a really fulfilling job, she said explaining that she loves working with the patients and doctors on staff.
“It’s a good fit… they are asking me if there are any more like me,” she said of how MWCC prepared her for the job. “I walk in there sometimes and I think ‘I did this… I’m adulting. I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up.’ It’s a good feeling.”
Gordon will receive her degree in Medical Assisting on May 16. She will be graduating with her daughter who she began school with and was a constant inspiration during her return to school.
“I am so excited to walk with her because we started this journey together,” said Gordon.