From the Dominican Republic to Peirce College – Meet Anabel Salce
From the Dominican Republic to Peirce College – Meet Anabel Salce
At the young age of 19 years old, Anabel Salce traveled from the Dominican Republic to America with just her parents and a whole lot of dreams. Not knowing much English, she decided to set a goal of learning the language to make her parents (and herself!) proud. Not only did Anabel learn English fluently, she also has excelled academically and was awarded a top honor in the process.
Anabel started her journey in America by immediately entering the workforce. She spent her days working in a factory where she was given some of the toughest jobs. One day, she stopped and realized she had bigger dreams to accomplish and she was not living her best life. That night, she went home to her mother and said she had decided it was time to return to school.
As Anabel put it, “My factory job inspired me to make ‘I’ll go back to school later’ into ‘I’ll go back to school NOW.’”
Immediately following this new dream, she enrolled at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). Anabel always knew she wanted to be in the medical field, but she wasn’t sure which path was for her just yet. After taking some classes, she discovered becoming a medical assistant was what she really wanted to do.
Anabel said, “I love helping people. Working with patients is so fulfilling. I get the chance to work with them and make a difference on a daily basis.”
After graduating from CCP in 2013, she wanted to keep going in order to continue learning and growing into her desired career. Thanks to a fellow colleague, Peirce College came into the conversation right away.
“[My colleague] told me about the flexibility, online classes and the working adult environment that Peirce had to offer. She was currently a student and loved her experience, so encouraged me to enroll,” explained Anabel. “[My colleague] was working two jobs while attending school, so I figured if she could do that, I could certainly balance one job with school.”
Next thing Anabel knew, she was a Peirce student pursuing her Associate in Science in Health Information Technology. Following this successful journey, she wasn’t quite done yet. Anabel wanted her Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration and, having had such a pleasant experience with the first degree, she knew it’d be a natural transition to keep right on going with earning her bachelor’s at Peirce.
“The flexibility of being able to choose each week whether to be in class or online – Peirce Fit® – has been extremely helpful,” explained Anabel on her Peirce experience. “Additionally, all the students in class have similar goals, motivation and priorities. I love the small college environment where you get to know everyone and you feel supported by tons of people.”
In addition to the benefits experienced at Peirce, Anabel also received benefits through her employer, Penn Medicine. As a corporate partner of Peirce College, all Penn Medicine employees, such as Anabel, receive an additional 25% off tuition on top of their generous company tuition benefit.
As Anabel continues chasing her dreams, Peirce College is not the only one recognizing Anabel for her perseverance, dedication and honorable goals. Recently, Anabel was a proud recipient of the prestigious 2018 Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia Paradigm Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship that is awarded annually to women in the workforce who are working toward an undergraduate degree.
Anabel said, “At first, I wasn’t even going to apply for the scholarship. I didn’t think much of it as I didn’t expect to win. Then, my Academic Advisor, Holly Tillery, continued to encourage me by sending me the application via email over and over again. Finally, I applied and I am so glad I did because it was truly an honor to win.”
At the official award ceremony, Anabel, along with the other scholarship recipients, were recognized by keynote speaker, Wendy Hamilton, General Manager, Sugar House Casino, as inspirational role models for all working women.
Anabel reflected on her recognition and said, “I want to be an example for other Hispanic people who come from another country. I want to inspire them and let them know that it is possible to readjust to the new culture, language, education system, etc. There are good jobs out there for us. You can do it!”
Anabel is currently a Clinical Medical Assistant in the Dermatology Oncology Surgery Department at Penn Medicine. She hopes to stay with the company and continue to grow in her division and field to reach her top potential.
Peirce College is honored to serve a student like Anabel who shows that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. We are so proud of Anabel and wish her nothing but success as she continues to chase her dreams!
Peirce College and Penn Medicine have been valued partners since 2014. Penn Medicine employees, spouses and dependents are eligible for a 25% tuition discount at Peirce College. To learn more about enrolling at Peirce, please visit peirce.edu/apply.
For a complete list of all corporate partners, please visit peirce.edu/corporate-partners. If your company is not listed and you would like to be considered for partnership, please contact Steve Bird, Program Manager, Institutional Partnerships, at swbird@peirce.edu or 215.670.9375.
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