Cory Dube, a medical assistant student at American Career College-Ontario, was selected as the winner of this year’s Sue Fleming Memorial Scholarship by the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS).
Dube was picked from a group of hundreds of candidates to receive the $3,000 scholarship due to his dedication and commitment to education in the face of personal tragedy. He was nominated by ACC-Ontario instructor Melissa Chacon, who said she was shocked to learn while going over test results with Dube that his father had passed away the morning before the exam.
"I was and still am on the verge of tears at his strength in pushing through the day so soon after his father's passing," Chacon said. "For all the trials and trivial issues we have going on in our classrooms, it's students like Cory that make me proud and keep me focused on helping them through school to achieve their goals."
Dube, who served for six years in the Marine Corps before enrolling at ACC, said he was honored to be recognized by CAPPS. Dube said he's looking forward to working in a hospital, with the goal of eventually becoming a registered nurse.
"It's crazy how much this (scholarship) is going to help me," Dube said. "I take care of my family and I have a lot of responsibilities, a lot of people lean on me. This is like a dream come true. It's going to help me more than anyone knows, to be honest."
The Sue Fleming Memorial Scholarship is for students enrolled in health care programs at private, postsecondary institutions in California.
Fleming herself began her career in health care in 1986 when she enrolled in a medical assisting certificate program, eventually becoming an instructor at her school and then department chair. After receiving her bachelor of science degree, she rose through the ranks, first as dean of education, then as a campus executive director and eventually was promoted to operations director. Fleming died in 2005.
"Sue started at the bottom and ended at the top," Educational Advisors CEO and President Joanne Johnson said in a statement. "She was the first one to offer encouragement to staff and students who were lagging in their studies and duties and always led by example. She was the one person everyone knew had overcome challenges to get to the top and her advice was golden."
