Davon Hawkins is an Out of School Youth participant from the Greater Flint Health Coalition’s Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) program, a GST Michigan Works! service provider.

Davon first heard about the FHEO program when he received a flyer in the mail. He was a student at University of Michigan-Flint and working in retail at Nike. At the time he was not working in a health-related field, but was interested in pursuing a career in health care and helping others in need.

While enrolled in the program, Davon completed 120 hours of Life Skills and Healthcare Career
Exploration training hosted by Flint Strive. Davon shared that his experience while at Flint Strive was amazing, challenging, eye opening, and empowering. Davon then began Dental Assistant training at Ross Medical Education Center in September 2021. The FHEO program covered the cost of tuition and required classroom materials such as textbooks and scrubs for Davon. Davon stated, “I learned a lot from there and they really prepare the students for what it's like in the real
world.”

Once completed with his training, he began working full time as a Dental Assistant for Dental
Care Team in Grand Blanc, MI earning $15.00 per hour. Davon is most excited about applying his newly acquired skills in his role while learning more on-the-job skills. Davon shared that his future goals are to “continue my undergraduate education and attend medical school to become a Dentist.” Davon offers this piece of advice for anyone looking to begin their career, “your portrayal and character is very important. It is important because you must present the best image of yourself to the world so that the positive spotlight and opportunities are always pointed in your direction.”

Congratulations, Davon, as you reach your healthcare career goals.