Samantha came to GST Michigan Works! in Bad Axe during August of 2019, a single mother of 5 children working 3 part-time jobs as an EMT-B, earning between $10.50 and $14.25/hr. She decided it was a good time to move her career forward and enroll in Paramedic Training at STAT EMS in Flint. Samantha started in August 2019 with an estimated finish date of August 2020.

When Covid-19 overtook Michigan and the state shut down, Samantha’s class went virtual. Handling classes over video conferencing was challenging. Class dates were extended, and August 2020 came and went without Samantha being able to finish the course. Now, she was not only a single mom working in healthcare during a pandemic, but she was also trying to complete her training online while her kids were completing their schooling virtually.

GST Michigan Works! was able to ease some of the financial burden by helping Samantha with tuition and mileage reimbursement. She overcame all the challenges and was finally able to complete in February of 2021. Samantha passed all the tests required to become a licensed Paramedic and is now working full-time earning $18/hr. at Central Huron Ambulance.