A Profile on Christelle G. Jean-Louis
When Christelle G. Jean-Louis arrived at RCC in Fall 2023, she described herself as reserved. She came to the Admissions Office with her aunt and was disappointed when she thought she was too late to register for classes. Thankfully, after visiting the Financial Aid Office and speaking with a financial aid counselor, she quickly learned that she could register and that she qualified for free community college, which was then offered through the City’s TFCC program.
Upon starting her academic journey, Christelle was immediately struck by the sheer quantity and quality of resources. While initially it was not easy to navigate a completely different education system and a new language, RCC made the transition much easier by providing all the necessary resources and support.
“Being here at RCC, you have time outside of the class with your professor,” said Christelle. “Also, you have tutoring, which you can complete online if you don't have time to come to campus. This helped me to learn more and succeed.”
Impressed by the academic resources at RCC, Christelle became an “eager beaver” and decided to make the most out of all the resources available at the College. This past summer, she attended a Career Fair, where the Office of Career and Internships team informed her about the free healthcare workforce programs made possible through special grant funding from the state.
Christelle enrolled in the CNA Program to support her long-term career goals. With the short-term goal of earning a Nursing Degree and a long-term goal of becoming a pediatrician, Christelle is currently majoring in biological sciences. She saw the CNA program as an opportunity to build her patient-facing skill set.
“In biological sciences, you’re more behind the scenes,” said Christelle. “You’re doing things for the patients, but not with them. The CNA externship component at Laurel Ridge was really interactive. We played bingo with them, we cared for them, and we helped them. It reminded me of when I was helping my mom care for my aunt. It was an incredible experience because I love helping people.”
Christelle completed the CNA program during the fall semester. Because of her exceptional experience at Laurel Ridge, she was invited to serve as the student speaker at the Center for Workforce Development’s graduation ceremony in March.
Christell’s participation in the CNA Program came with an added bonus; thanks to RCC’s credit for prior learning structure, she received 4 credits as a Science Elective towards her degree. A first-generation college student, Christelle is double-majoring in Biological Science and Biological Science Animal Lab Care and is graduating with honors this May. She also serves as an SGA Student Representative, the Treasurer of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), and is a member of the Commonwealth Honors Program.
When asked for what advice she would give future students, it turns out that Christelle had recently told a friend:
“If you're looking for a college to go to, it's not any college. It's RCC. Here at
RCC, you feel like you have the help you need.
You have the resources. They're going to help you. Whether it's food, tutoring, or
advice.
The advisors are all good at that. Even outside of classes, you can use RCC Connect,
which is really great. Not only do you come to the school to learn, but you can also
interact with the employees.
They will gladly tell you, yes, you can come here.”
