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The goal: to help people

Your Dream is Our Dream: Emma Chrystan

Your Dream is Our Dream is an initiative of Kent ISD

Kent ISD — Emma Chrystan, who lives in Walker and is a senior at West Catholic High School, attends Kent Career Tech Center’s medical assistant program.

What is your dream?

“I just know that I want to help people. I do want to go into nursing, and then if I like it I’ll decide on getting a master’s and doing the extra two years to be a nurse practitioner. As of right now, that’s the goal.”

Why is that your dream? 

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do until about eighth grade. My grandma passed away and it was really hard on me and my family. I was really close with her. I just wish that she got the help that she needed in a timely manner. 

Senior Emma Chrystan

“I feel like there’s too much pain in the world or troubles in the world that we experience, that everyone experiences. Making sure that the patient has the care they really need no matter what, along with seeing families get some relief, has been my focus.”

How are school and your teachers helping you achieve your dream?

“I’m doing the medical assistant program right now. So the majority of our study is learning how to record vitals. Like, when you first go into a doctor’s office and you meet with that first person, that’s what we’re learning right now.

“What I am learning is a good exposure to the basic skills that any nurse should know, and it’s a good first job to start your base career, (to) get your foot in the door.

“Tech Center teachers have had experience in the offices so they teach us what to expect. They help us with hands-on learning so we know how to physically do things, and they give us the time to practice and go through the steps so we know what to do under certain circumstances.”

Senior Emma Chrystan practices weighing a baby with a doll while in the medical assistant program at Kent Career Tech Center
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Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma is a reporter covering Kent ISD, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, Forest Hills and Comstock Park. The salutatorian for the Hartland Public Schools class of 1985, she changed her colors from blue and maize to green and white by attending Michigan State University, where she majored in journalism. Joanne moved to the Grand Rapids area in 1989, where she started her journalism career at the Advance Newspapers. She later became the editor for On-the-Town magazine, a local arts and entertainment publication. Her eldest daughter is a nurse, working in Holland, and her youngest attends Oakland University. Both are graduates from Byron Center High School. She is a volunteer for the Van Singel Fine Arts Advisory Board and the Kent District Library. In her free time, Joanne enjoys spending time with her family, checking out local theater and keeping up with all the exchange students they have hosted through the years. Read Joanne's full bio

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